Serena's Blog
by Yugoslavia
Summary: Everyone has something planned to do on the resort island of Costa Nova except for Serena. When faced with crushing boredom, Serena decides to run a blog. On hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

An endless expanse of blue sky glowed over the coastal scenery of Costa Nova, the small set of islands surrounded on all sides by deep blue Kalos sea. The dark outline of the Kalos stood on the horizon, far away and masked by the blue haze of sky. Fletchling fluttered by, chirping their morning song as the white disc of the sun reached the center of the heavens.

On the raised plateau of the main island mass, an elegant hotel stood, just above the pure white beaches that lined the outside of the island. The warm, sleepy city of the mainland stood nearby, close to the hotel.

* * *

 _ **Having spent a length of time traveling through the Kalos region, our heroes have decided to take a break in the tropical refuge of Costa Nova, an island hub just south of the Kalos region, hoping to find some rest and relaxation.**_

 _ **Bonnie and Serena, having spent the night in a resort on Costa Nova, have taken it upon themselves to get some extra rest and relaxation before their day begins. A treasure trove of mystery and adventure awaits them just outside their room!**_

* * *

In the window of one of the hotel rooms, Dedenne pressed his fat face to the window, his tiny eyes shimmering at the sight of the many people and Pokemon on the beach several stories below. Turning his head beside him, peeking his head out of the curtain, he chirped something muffled by the window, calling to someone.

Beside him, the pale, sunlit curtains shuffled and fluttered lightly as another figure appeared. Bonnie popped her head up beneath the curtains, her tiny hands finding the ledge of the window and hoisting body up just enough for her head to peek over. Her eyes widened, a quiet gasp leaving her as she gazed down at the beachgoers, seeing all the fun things they were doing at the beach.

In the hotel room, Bonnie snuck her head back under the curtain, looking through the dim light of the hotel. She hopped up and grabbed the edge of the curtain, tugging it to the side and opening the curtains wide, sunlight pouring through and into the hotel.

"Agh!"

Bonnie's head whipped around, looking surprised. In the bright, sunlit hotel room, she saw the two beds: one with the blankets tossed about and Bonnie-sized clothes covering it, and another with an extra layer of blankets, a figure buried deep in the blankets, turned away from the window with a pillow covering her head.

It was Serena.

Ignoring Serena, giving a tiny scowl, Bonnie headed over to the desk in the hotel, grabbing the chair by the head and tugging as hard as she could to pull it out. The wooden legs dragged over the carpet flooring softly, Bonnie's groans and grunts far louder than the shuffling chair. Dedenne promptly dropped down from the ledge, coming to Bonnie's side to help her move the chair from out of the slot in the desk.

"Bonnie... Are you moving furniture...?" Serena groaned, her voice muffled by the pillow and her own exhaustion.

Once Bonnie had propped the chair's back against the back wall and the hotel room's AC unit, she hopped onto the cushion, half squatting as she used a chair arm to prop herself up, looking over to Serena. Dedenne scrampered across the floor, hopping onto the bed and then hopping onto the chair's arm, climbing onto the chair's backrest and sitting himself beside Bonnie's head.

"I want to see the beach," said Bonnie. "Kinda hard to do that when we're stuck in this hotel," she said, rolling her eyes.

Serena rolled over in bed, her arm flopping across the queen-sized length of her bed. She squinted beneath a layer of matted blonde hair, her head half-exposed from beneath a pillow. Seeing Bonnie and Dedenne's silhouette matted against the glowing portal of the window, she forced her eyes shut from the blinding lights, knocking the pillow on her head away.

"Are you going to sleep _all_ day?" Bonnie whined, slouching against the back of the chair, her arms folded and resting on the top of the chair's back as she gazed longingly out the window.

"Of course not, there's lot to do," said Serena. She sat herself upright stretching her arms wide and letting out a quiet yawn, covering her mouth for just a moment. When she opened her eyes, she oriented herself to her surroundings, staring tiredly out at all the different amenities of their hotel room.

"Well, you can cross off the morning then, sleepyhead," said Bonnie.

Giving Bonnie a frown, Serena turned her head, looking over at the alarm clock on the nightstand between hers and Bonnie's bed. The clock read '11:02 AM'.

Serena's eyes widened.

Just then, a knock came from the door to the hotel. Serena, Bonnie and Dedenne turned their heads, staring at hotel door at the far end of the room.

Reaching for the corner of her bedsheets, Serena pulled them away. Her back rose from the bed easily, her movements surprisingly refreshed from a night of sleep that hadn't been on the ground. As she took a moment, sitting on the edge of the bed and yawning softly, her eyes blinking away sleep, the jarring, sudden thump from the other side of the room snapped her attention away from the corners of the hotel ceiling. She watched Bonnie land from the chair, Dedenne racing after her as she quickly crossed the hotel room and headed for the door.

"I got it!" Bonnie called, running towards the door.

"No, Bonnie, wait!" Serena called. Her bare feet touched down on the carpet. She straightened the tanktop she wore, pulling it closer to her waist. As she walked quickly, rounding the bed, she smoothed her hair behind her, brushing the loose hair from out of her eyes and crossing along the large, dresser and TV stand at the front of the room.

Bonnie stopped just short of the bathroom door, turning and looking back at Serena. She looked slightly worried and confused, looking down at Dedenne as he met her with the same look of confusion.

"Serena, don't you think it's probably Ash or Clemont or something?" asked Bonnie.

On the counter, beside the TV and the personal coffee maker, Serena had set her traveling bag the night before. A few of her Pokeballs rested in front, sitting sideways and lingering. Reaching up, Serena picked out a Pokeball. She clicked the release on the Pokeball, firing the thin red capture beam onto the carpet, where moments later Pancham materialized. Paying little attention to Pancham's confused calls as hefor a Pokemon to battle and getting acclimated to the indoor space, Serena held the Pokeball at her side as she walked, heading towards the front door.

"Hotels are different than tents, Bonnie," Serena chided. Behind her, she beckoned Pancham a little closer, getting him to follow as she approached the door. Getting up on the tips of her toes, she shut an eye and forced the open one up close to the thin brass-rimmed aperture of the door, looking through the small hole. No one was on the other side.

Down by Serena, Bonnie sat herself down on the floor, leaning against the closet door, watching curiously as Serena leaned herself against the door and opened it slowly. Her expression slowly turned to worry, then surprise as Dedenne hopped into her lap. She wrapped her arms around his tiny body, feeling him quietly chitter.

The hotel room door swung open gently. Serena's head poked through, her fingers curling on the edge of the door. Her curious eyes wandered the corridor, her head leaning far enough out to see the rest of the hall, seeing that no one was in any part of the hotel.

Between Serena's naked ankles, Pancham popped out, launching himself onto the floor of the corridor. His fiery eyes darted each which way, his paws curled into fists by his side, his arms hoisted up and ready to pummel the first Pokemon he saw. As he quickly turned from side to side, looking down either side of the hall, he realized he was alone. He stopped in his tracks, frozen in mild embarrassment, realizing there was nothing. As he searched the floor, he realized he was standing beside something unusual. He gasped, making an unusual, loud sound of surprise.

Serena looked down too. She gasped.

A package had been set on the floor. It was fairly large, wide and short. A white sticker had been affixed to the package, Serena's name and the address of the resort written on it.

* * *

A/N: Hey everybody, it's your boy Yugoslavia.

I know that 'Ask' stories are banned from this website, and I want to just make sure it's completely understood that this is not one of those. A key part of this story is Serena operating a blog, but the questions she receives come from characters and situations invented by me. The questions that characters ask have no bearing on the plot and act more as a subplot to the main story. If anything, this story is more a response and parody to the existence of those kinds of stories, and is intended to be an artistic exploration of those key facets.

If you have any questions/comments/concerns, please PM me.


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you going to open it?"

"No!" Serena protested, sighing in exasperation. She shook her head, running her hands through her hair. She sat on the edge of her bed, the package sitting at her side on the lumpy surface of the comforter.

Bonnie, laying on her belly, kicking her feet behind her, held her head in her hands. Pouting, she gave a passing glance to Dedenne as he rolled on his back, trying to itch a scratch, keeping her focus on the package by Serena's side.

"Why not? What's so dangerous about it? It's just a package. Maybe it's something cool!" said Bonnie.

"It's... It's just so weird..." said Serena. "I mean, it's a package delivered to a hotel we've stayed a single night in, let alone a day, on an island we've never been to. Who could possibly know we're here?"

"Maybe it's from your mom," Bonnie shrugged. "You tell her everything."

"Why would she send a package here? Why not send it to Professor Sycamore?" Serena shot Bonnie an annoyed glance. "And I don't tell her 'everything'."

"Then how come you write so much about Ash?" Bonnie said, a sly grin appearing on her features. "I think that says a lot—" Bonnie was cut off. A flying pillow from Serena's bed clipped her in the face, knocking her sideways. She groaned, resting on her back and rubbing her eyes, frowning in annoyance.

Serena gave Bonnie the nastiest of looks. "Go take a shower... Or a bath. Whatever. Just... Please clean yourself."

As Bonnie flipped herself over, bouncing once on the bed before sliding down to the floor, landing on her feet with a gentle thump, she walked over, passing Serena on the bed.

"How come? I don't usually shower or anything when we're out."

"Exactly," Serena said, bitingly. "Go clean yourself."

* * *

Alone in the small hotel room, Serena could hear the sounds of the shower running, Bonnie talking to herself in the echoing chamber of the bathroom. At the bathroom door, Dedenne pawed softly, whimpering.

In Serena's lap, she rested the box over her legs. A thin pair of scissors lay at her side. She picked them up.

The brown tape on the package shredded easily, the metal edge of the scissors working in and cutting open the box with a few light snips. The flaps of the box opened up, and once Serena had set down her scissors, she went about opening the box, pulling open the flaps wide. She rooted through the vast amount of white foam packing peanuts, reaching down until she felt the bottom of the box. Feeling around it, Serena frowned, realizing there was another box inside. She grabbed both ends, lifting the second box out, watching as foam peanuts spilled out over the edge.

Taking the package from the box, setting it in her lap and setting the foam-filled shipping box aside, Serena took a moment to inspect the unusual packaging. She gazed at the surface of the simple, wide box, seeing the brown logo in the center: a Pokeball, with a series of arcing lines inside of it—a Wi-Fi symbol. She cut the small plastic seals at the bottom of the box, carefully lifting the lid of the box.

A sheet of foam covered the contents. Removing the translucent layer, Serena unveiled a wide, chocolatey-brown, metallic case of a device. A cream-colored Pokeball had been engraved in the center of the shell-like surface. She set the box and the device aside, then lifted the device up and set it down in her lap where it seemed to rest most naturally. She reached beneath the lid, raising the screen and opening up the device. A black screen beneath the lid appeared, an array of cream-colored keys constituting a keyboard and trackpad beneath.

"A laptop...?" Serena breathed incredulously.

Her fingers glided over the smooth surface, feeling how good the inner surface felt, the smooth faux wood grain cool to the touch. The keys fit naturally beneath her fingers, her hands arched over the keys, poised to type. She held herself back for a moment, realizing just how excited she was.

Reaching down, Serena tapped the power button.

The screen flared to life, a small motor whirring inside. Electrical clicks sounded within the plastic casing, familiar computing sounds that Serena had heard before. The deep black of the screen flashed a glowing gray, a small wheel turning in the center as it booted up.

A cream-colored screen appeared, brown text popping up in the center of the screen.

 _'Welcome!'_


	3. Chapter 3

Dedenne had fallen asleep just outside the bathroom door, now snoozing slouched against the door. The sounds of Bonnie humming and singing lightly to herself as the shower ran came from beneath the bathroom door, echoing off the walls.

Still alone in the hotel room, Serena chewed her lip as she looked at the laptop, still confused and unsure as to what to do. She had set it up on the desk in the corner of the room, the lamp beside it glowing warmly. The laptop screen glowed, the cream-colored desktop waiting for her.

Sighing, Serena went to the window, taking the chair that Bonnie had propped against the lower wall and putting it back in front of the desk. She immediately sat herself down in it, already looking somewhat exasperated with the computer.

Serena slipped her hands into her lap, her posture uncomfortable as she stared at the screen, continuing to chew her lip and wonder silently. She slouched away from the computer, but couldn't take her eyes away. She looked over to the bathroom in the corner of the hotel often, hearing the muffled sounds of Bonnie talking to herself beneath the bathroom walls, before looking back to the laptop.

"Where did you come from…?" Serena asked quietly.

A lightbulb went off in Serena's head, a look of realization dawning on her. She took the trackpad, mousing over to the bottom corner of the screen, opening up a menu and looking at the Recently Used applications.

A document appeared on the list. It was titled 'Serena'.

Serena gasped, sitting herself back suddenly. She felt her heart fall through her stomach.

It took a split second for Serena to change from being freaked out to being plain confused. Her eyes narrowed at the little listing on the screen, looking at it as though it were a wart. She took the trackpad again, double-clicking the document.

The screen flashed, a new window appearing. A digital page appeared in the word processor. A thin line of text had been written.

'Write something!'

Serena took several seconds to look at the line. She reread it a dozen times, her eyes racing back and forth over the two words. Her fingers traced down the trackpad, scrolling to the bottom of the document and seeing that there wasn't anything else written. When she looked back at the list of Recently Used applications, it was the only item listed. Nothing else had been used on the laptop before.

Pausing, Serena's eyes widened as the same confusion she had grew deeper. She retracted her hands slowly, pulling them into her lap and letting them rest there as she sat herself against the back of the chair. She seemed dejected as her mind raced with all the different possible meanings that could have, why it had appeared on her laptop and who could possibly have written such a weird thing.

Just as she was thinking, the bathroom door opened. Bonnie stepped out, having dressed herself, wielding a large towel that had been wrapped around her head. As she kept her eyes up and on the bundled towel, her hands holding it up and trying to keep it balanced, she kept walking, nearly stepping on Dedenne several times who kept coming around her legs, rubbing his nose on her knees in an attempt to get her attention.

"Hey, so you did open that box!" Bonnie gasped, pointing to the laptop in front of Serena.

Serena, deep in thought, had to look at what Bonnie was pointing at. She turned and looked at the laptop, then back at Bonnie, before suddenly realizing what was happening. She let out a yelp, throwing her arms out and slamming the laptop lid shut.

"Hey—I mean—Bonnie!" Serena protested, watching Bonnie run up to her side.

"Whoa! A laptop? How did you get that?"

"It's not—I mean— _Stop it_!"

As Bonnie reached up towards the desk, trying to grab at the laptop, Serena pushed against the towel covering Bonnie's head, being all she needed to do to stop her from advancing on her. Gritting her teeth, grunting out in annoyance, she fought off Bonnie's flailing arms as Bonnie tried to swat Serena's arm away.

"Come on Serena! Let me see it!"

"Stop it! You're wet!" Serena groaned.

After continuing to fight Bonnie off, Serena yanked the towel away from Bonnie's head, tossing it to the floor beside her. She then froze, gasping in fear.

Bonnie's wet, blonde hair stood up vertically, slicked into weird, Medusa-like curls. Her hair slowly fell down, lowering in all directions, turning into a mess of spiky hair.

At Serena's gasp, Bonnie's eyes darted up. She froze, closing an eye as a few locks of her bangs fell down over her brow. She then looked at Serena in total confusion, brushing the hair out of her eyes.

"What?"

"Your hair…!"

"What's wrong with my hair?" Bonnie asked, slightly fearful.

"It's… It's not dry all the way! You're not going out like that, are you…?"

"What? Oh," Bonnie snickered, grinning snidely. "Yeah! It's my new look," she said, running her hands up the sides of her head and styling her wet locks into a single vertical point, looking like a blonde scoop of soft-serve.

Serena shook her head, getting up and taking the laptop with her. "Go dry your hair," she said.

Kneeling down, Bonnie reached for a small bag she had set down beneath her bed, right beside where Dedenne was slouched against the foot of the bed. She grabbed for a small pink brush, messing up the vertical stack of hair she had created and taking a length into her fist, brushing her hair.

"Come on Serena, you didn't honestly think I was going out like this, were you?" asked Bonnie.

Serena placed the laptop on top of the TV at the front of the room, far out of Bonnie's reach. She then took the box she had placed on her bed, collecting loose foam peanuts and throwing them back in the box. She set the box back on the TV.

"I've been surprised before," Serena sighed.

* * *

The bathroom door swung open, a cloud of steam exiting through the opening as Serena stepped out. Clutching a towel under her arms, wrapped around her freshly showered body, she narrowed her eyes as she looked through the room.

Though the room was fairly messy, Bonnie had cleaned up her side of the room, making her bed and putting her clothes away. Serena's bed had yet to be made. The room was empty, both Bonnie and Dedenne having left.

As she briefly considered where Bonnie might have gone, Serena crossed the room, going down to the drawers beneath the TV, opening them up and pulling out one of the identical pink blouses she had folded inside, taking it and laying it on the top of the TV stand. She rooted through her bottom drawer, grabbing a pair of stockings and other amenities.

As she stood up, Serena gazed at her warped reflection in the TV screen. As she looked at the top of it, she saw the laptop was still there, a single white LED pulsing softly as the laptop slept.

"'Write something'…" Serena repeated the cryptic words to herself, under her breath.

Taking the laptop, Serena crossed the room, sitting herself on the edge of the bed. She rested the laptop in her lap, tugging the edge of the towel up to her knees and protecting the underside of the laptop from her wet skin. She opened the lid, facing the glowing screen towards her face.

The same document was open. The words 'Write Something' stared her down.

Curious, Serena ran her fingers over the trackpad, moving the cursor up to the top of the screen. As she looked at different options, she found herself looking at a new listing: 'New Document'. She paused, staring at where her cursor highlighted it.

"But what will I write…?" Serena asked herself.

After a long pause, she pressed the trackpad. The screen returned with a new digital page, blank and devoid of the seemingly taunting words.

Serena stared down at her hands. Her fingers hovered over the keys of the laptop, poised at the home keys. Looking up at the screen, a tiny black marker on the document blinked steadily, waiting for her to type something.

Taking a breath, Serena began to write.

* * *

 _Hi! My name is Serena._

* * *

Serena smiled. "That wasn't so hard."

Her fingers tapped on the keys, adding to the sentence.

* * *

 _And I'm not used to getting surprise packages_.

* * *

Just then, the front door to the hotel room swung open. Bonnie stepped through, beaming with excitement.

"Serena! They have an ice machine on this floor! It's like right next to our room!"

"Dedenedenedene!" Dedenne squealed, popping through the door just beneath Bonnie.

Serena shrieked, tugging the towel up over herself closer, trying to cover herself.


	4. Chapter 4

"Serena, how come you're so boring?"

Serena looked up at Bonnie. Beneath a raised mug of iced coffee, Serena paused in her sip, staring at where Bonnie sat across from her for several long seconds. She tipped the glass up, drinking silently before carefully setting the glass mug on the papery coaster on the table.

"What do you mean...?" Serena asked, looking deeply worried.

Beneath one of the many tall plaza buildings in the central city of Costa Nova, the Cafe Luxe took up the bottom floor of the corner. A luxurious, elegant and simple cafe, Serena and Bonnie had grabbed a table close to the edge of the restaurant, eating breakfast beside one of the large open archways that opened up into the street, one of the many open archways that lined the cafe on either side.

Bonnie's plate sat largely empty, covered in small crumbs. Half of a skinned orange remained on the plate. Bonnie had set the plate aside, instead choosing to hunch over the small cafe table, drawing with a crayon on the wax paper covering. With an orange crayon gripped in her fist, she traced a cartoon Dedenne using only her imagination, working on the outline. Her face was inches from the drawing as she hunched over, her eyes carefully studying every line she drew, her whole body seemingly invested in the creation of the drawing, her legs kicking playfully beneath her.

"I mean, I just was thinking that on the way down here from the resort," said Bonnie, continuing to stare at her drawing. "You just... You just really seem scared by that laptop, and for no reason. You know?"

"But don't you think it's weird?" Serena asked, sitting forward in her chair as she watched Bonnie. "Doesn't it bother you a little bit? That one document had my name on it!"

A beat of silence passed, filled with the hasty scribbling that came from Bonnie's end of the table where she scribbled with a crayon on the wax paper, the sounds of muffled conversations in the cafe and the serene sounds of street activity next to the open patio they sat on. As Serena stared ahead, a look of dissatisfaction on her face, she reached for the ceramic set of cream and sugar, yanking out a pink sugar packet and hastily tearing it open over her coffee, dumping it in. She stirred in silence, brow furrowed as she stirred with a thin black straw.

Down beneath the table, Dedenne pawed at the leg of Bonnie's chair, head turned towards the street as he watched a trainer and her Meowth fumble with a bike lock. An empty plate full of Pokepuff crumbs sat by his feet, the matching purple and pink crumbs plastered over his face.

Serena gave a passing glance down to Dedenne, considering the situation but turning back to her own plate. Her omelette had hardly been touched, only a few bites carved out of the side, chunks of bell pepper and mushroom sticking out of the cheese and egg confection. Running her tongue along her teeth, she could feel the garnishes that had set in on the smooth surface, lifting her napkin from her lap and wiping them away. As she did, she gave a passing glance to Bonnie's main plate, where even the syrup of her pancakes had been scraped away, her glass of orange juice nearly empty.

Sighing, Serena sat back, folding her arms, looking out at the sunny day just outside the dim shade of the cafe.

"You can't just call people 'boring'," said Serena. "That's very rude Bonnie."

"Yeah, well, Clemont says it's more rude to reject a gift."

" _Bonnie_ , we don't know it's a gift!" Serena snapped, sounding exasperated.

Bonnie jumped back, silently surprised. Down beneath the table, as her chair squeaked in surprise, Dedenne yelped, rattling his plate of food that had been stashed beneath the table. Scowling, Bonnie grabbed the seat of her chair, kicking her legs until the chair scooted back in. She threw aside the purple crayon she had snapped, instead grabbing a red crayon to color in the cheeks.

"Sorry Bonnie, I know things are different when you're young, but older kids worry about a lot more things."

"You're not that much older than me," Bonnie mumbled.

Serena turned to Bonnie, looking annoyed. "Alright, what would you do in this situation?"

Bonnie shrugged. "I don't know. I think I would take the gift."

"Okay, but why?"

"'Why'? I mean, I don't know. Why does everything have to have a reason with you?" Bonnie shot Serena an annoyed look. "Some things just 'are', you know?"

"Just..." Serena sighed. "Can you please just give me one?"

Bonnie paused, looking up at Serena. Instead of answering Serena, she set down her crayon, reaching for her orange half and picking it up off the plate, holding it in front of Serena. She peeled off a slice, eating it, swallowing and then waving it up in front of Serena to make sure she was paying attention.

"See this orange?" asked Bonnie. "Remember when I asked for oranges and the waitress lady said they were out?"

Serena narrowed her eyes. "Yeah... I do actually... Where did you get that?'

"Well, I went to the bathroom, and outside the bathroom the garbage can was full of oranges!"

Serena made a face, shrinking back and sticking her tongue out. "Bonnie, that's disgusting."

"No Serena, it's okay!" said Bonnie. "This one had fallen on the floor, and I washed it out in the sink!"

"Bonnie, I'm serious. You really should throw that out."

"Serena, you're missing the point! The point isn't how I got the orange, it's that now Dedenne and I have delicious orange slices!" Bonnie said, visibly beaming. She kicked her legs, peeling off another orange slice. "I wasn't expecting an orange, and now I have one, and it's great!" she exclaimed, popping another slice into her mouth, chewing happily.

Serena sighed. She hung her head over the table, her hands reaching up and massaging her eyes as she thought.

"Bonnie, that's the opposite of your point," said Serena. "That's like, helping _my_ point. Just because something seems good doesn't actually mean it's good. There are plenty of things that seem good at first but have bad intentions."

"I know that not all food is healthy for you," Bonnie said, rolling her eyes. "I'm just saying... You know... Live a little! Don't be boring! Consider the... um... flowers of the... um... planter box?"

Serena sighed. "'The lilies of the field', I know."

Another beat of silence passed. Bonnie finished coloring in the potato-shaped Dedenne, now drawing a large talk balloon beside Dedenne, trying to cram in all the words before she hit the border of the talk bubble. Behind Dedenne, several gray rectangles representing buildings had been drawn, with one of them in Dedenne's hand, ripped from the ground. She had drawn half a fire, and she picked it back up as soon as she finished the talk balloon.

Having taken another stab at eating her omelet, Serena wiped her mouth with the napkin, chewing silently. After finishing the single bite she threw her napkin over the top of the dish, letting the black fabric sink into the cheesy surface. She looked at the food with disdain, folding her arms.

Serena turned her head up to Bonnie, giving her a biting glare. "Honestly, I wouldn't have opted to eat breakfast with you if I thought this would be such an issue. Remind me again why I volunteered to do this?"

"Ash and Clemont already had things to do. You won't let me go to breakfast by myself."

"Oh come _on_ , Bonnie! Is this so hard? I thought we could have a nice, quiet breakfast at Cafe Luxe, and then maybe go for a bit of an adventure around the island. You make it sound like it's a burden to hang out with me," said Serena. "Am I really that boring? What on earth could you possibly do today that's so much better?"

"Serena, you only want to go shopping."

"What? Bonnie, we talked about going to the beach! The beaches here are so lovely!"

Bonnie groaned audibly. The crayon gripped in her hand scribbled to fill in the fire behind Dedenne. "The whole ride we took on that smelly boat, all you talked about was some boutique, getting frozen yogurt and getting your hair cut."

" _Bonnie_ , Miss Desi's Cottage is one of the most fashionable boutiques in the whole Kalos region, with all sorts of outfits and accessories that I could use in the events I have coming up _—_ of course I'm looking forward to shopping there," said Serena. She closed her eyes, giving a dreamy smile. "And it wasn't just _any_ frozen yogurt, it's the Salt of the Sea creamery and their 52 flavors, something I thought you would actually like. I haven't even read about what showcases Costa Nova has, but they're sure to be fun and fashionable!"

"You still talked about that haircut place the whole way."

"That's a 'spa'. It's called a 'pedicure'. I was talking more about getting a 'facial' than anything," Serena huffed.

"I thought you told Ash to stop using that word because it made you uncomfortable."

" _Bonnie!_ "


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Doing double updates today and tomorrow for missed chapters on 9/3 and 9/5. Work for Labor Day weekend caught me sideways. Totally my fault, I was ill prepared with these first few chapters. Shouldn't happen again. Expect daily updates from now until the heat-death of the universe, or until otherwise noted.

* * *

"If you don't want to follow me around today, then what could you possibly want to do?"

Bonnie paused in her steps. She looked up to Serena, giving a toothy smile, meeting with Serena's gaze when she looked back over her shoulder.

"Oh no," Serena groaned.

Outside, the dim interior of the Cafe Luxe was far in the distance behind Bonnie and Serena. In the streets of Costa Nova, the sunbleached brick streets traced wide walking paths through the tall buildings and shops of the main city's interior. Bikers passed along the path, tourists walking groups with their Pokemon by their side. The sky was a perfect blue, the sun a bright white center as it passed the peak of noon.

Dedenne caught up with Bonnie, running along the main path as he caught up with the two standing girls. When he reached Bonnie, he nearly skidded to a stop, pawing up at Bonnie out of breath, hopping up over her sneaker as he tried to get up with her. He leapt into Bonnie's waiting arms as soon as she stooped over and reached down.

"Well... Um... You know," said Bonnie, pulling her arms closer around Dedenne and sitting him closer to her chest, "I think my 3DS is in your suitcase... Which is in the hotel..." She donned an innocent look, looking sideways, wagging her foot beneath her.

"Of course," Serena said. "Pokemon Crossing..."

"Serena, my harvest of Parsnapples and Mayberries is just about done! I'm that close to paying off my mortgage," said Bonnie, leaping at the chance, beaming happily. "And after that, Tom Nook can gouge me for another set of renovations! And I think there's an event at one of the game stores on the island, all I have to do is take my 3DS in and I can play in the Garden Festival!"

Sighing, Serena grabbed her bag from her side, unzipping it. She forked out several papery blue bills, finding the keycard to the hotel. Giving it one last longing look, she it down to Bonnie, who immediately snatched it up.

As Bonnie thumbed through the papery stack of Poke, she pulled her tiny bag beside her, slipping them into a tiny pouch. With her bag open and close to where she held Dedenne with an arm, Dedenne reached a paw in and snuck out a stashed orange slice.

"Just... Be careful, okay? And don't play video games all day."

"Thanks Serena!"

"Don't ever call me boring again, okay?" Serena grimaced, zipping her bag back up.

"You got it!"

As Serena shifted her bag back over her shoulder, she gave Bonnie an annoyed look, making sure she was paying attention.

"Don't think I didn't see what you did there," Serena hissed. Getting up, straightening her blouse and her hat, Serena turned, taking a few steps away from Bonnie.

" _Dendedendendnee!_ " Dedenne squealed, spraying chunks of orange onto Bonnie's arms.

Bonnie made a face, sticking her tongue out. "Dedenne, that's gross."

Serena paused herself again, watching as Bonnie headed off with Dedenne in her arms. The resort they had spent the night in was at the far end of the long brick path, not that far on the horizon. She let out a deep sigh, pursing her lips as she looked back over towards where she was going, in the opposite direction.

* * *

Stopping at a bench, Serena opened up her bag, sitting herself down. She gasped for air, her cheeks bright red as she rested herself. Her boots rested up on the heels, easing the weight off of her feet. She looked up from beneath the brim of her hat, seeing the boiling sun that made the paths seemingly sizzle. The thin red water bottle stashed in her bag was warm to the touch, but she popped the lid open, pressing the rim to her lips and tipping the bottle back, draining it silently.

Letting out a gasp of satisfaction, Serena still panted. She gave a longing look to the empty bottle she held in her hand, tipping it on its side. Her deep blue eyes darted up to far down the path, where a solitary convenience store stood.

The sealed water bottle slipped back in her bag. When it knocked against something hard and plastic, Serena paused, looking into the open, unzipped folds of the bag. She saw the gleaming, cream-colored inlay of the brassy shell of the laptop, pressed against the side of the bag.

"Write something..." Serena repeated to herself.

Serena gave a passing, spiteful look to the resort at the far end of the path, barely visible at it's end. Grabbing the laptop by it's end, she pulled it out and propped it on her lap.

When she opened the lid, the bright screen was overshadowed by the sun, but adjusting the standing screen made the screen visible again. The same document she had opened up before appeared to her, with the meager words she had put down before.

Serena's fingers found the keys, and she began to type, balancing the base of the laptop over the tops of her legs.

* * *

 _Let me tell you about my friends._


	6. Chapter 6

_Clemont is smart in a lot of ways, but he's not exactly... savvy._

 _I like him a lot. He's been an excellent friend in my journey across the Kalos region. He's extremely knowledgeable, I don't think I'll ever learn so much about Pokemon as he has. He knows a lot about science and technology, probably a little more than he should._

 _He is very kind, but he's very... impersonal. His people skills aren't so great, but he tries very hard to be practical for others and be generous with his knoweldge and his inventions. He isn't a know-it-all, he's just a very good friend, and I will always value having him around._

 _We haven't traveled together for incredibly long, but he's been with me every step of the way._

* * *

Serena's gaze raced around the aquatic center. For someone wearing more clothes than most in the swimming pool area, she still looked somewhat sheepish, fully dressed in her blouse and skirt, her jacket and bag slung over her shoulder, her black boots gripping the wet tile. Stretching and curling her hands into fists, Serena continued on, walking along the edge.

Voices echoed off concrete walls, the sounds of children squealing seeming piercing, backed by the loud cries of many very young children lingered and swam in the large open pool area, hanging off of floaties or kicking as their water wings kept them afloat, many flocked to the very edge, gazing at the display in the battle pool, where two trainers, standing on floating foam platforms at either edge of the pool commanded their Pokemon, an intense match between a Gyrados and a Lapras. Every so often, a shrill whistle came from a lifeguard, before he shouted commands at splashing kids. Even more often, the same sound of the whistle came from someone over by the battle pool, trying to keep the battling trainers from using Ice-type moves. Sunlight streamed in from the large glass skylights overhead, making the aquatic center seem as vibrant as all the outdoor activities.

Wrinkling her nose at the smell of chlorine, Serena paid attention to the task at hand, her eyes lighting up as soon as she spotted what— _who_ she wanted to see.

Clemont squatted on a small section of tile by the main pool. He had laid out a towel, keeping his workspace dry as he tinkered with several electronic components, using a screwdriver to attach a pistoning arm to the side of an unusually shaped metal box. As he finished hooking the wire in, gritting his teeth as he pressed down on the tab to attach the wire, he took a breath, looking up and seeing Serena approach. He beamed, grasping his small mechanical device in his tiny hands as he stood up to greet Serena.

"Serena, hello! How are you this morning?" asked Clemont, peering out of his large glasses at the underbelly of his newest invention. He looked especially scrawny in his swim trunks, standing on thin, pasty legs with his skinny torso exposed above.

"Just fine, how's... This?"

"Oh, this?" Clemont lit up, hastily putting the invention down, squatting back down over the towel. "This here is an invention of mine that I've been working on for some time, actually. This is a bit of a robot!"

"A robot?"

"It's an autonomous, hydrogen-powered, intelligently-guided swimming drone! I made it myself. It has an autopilot and a remote control option, and it's going to allow me to explore what's under the sea around Costa Nova! It's incredibly handy, and I'm only on Mark XIV!"

"Fourteen..." Serena narrowed her eyes. "Clemont, how long have you been working on this?"

"Since this morning! It's been a dream of mine to make something like this forever!"

Beside where Clemont had set himself up poolside, an endless row of sunning chairs lined the main pool, many towels and bags set up on them, as well as adults who lounged on them and snoozed peacefully. Serena reached under one a mere foot away, scooting it on metal legs closer to Clemont's experiment and sitting herself on the edge, hunched over with her hands between her legs. She removed her hat and set it behind her, taking a moment to relax.

"I'm not really a good swimmer," said Clemont, "but I've always been fascinated by Pokemon of the sea! I'd love to discover more about them! And this is the way I've best devised to tackle that problem, building a robot that can swim around and dive deep."

At that, Clemont stooped over the pool, squatting close to the undulating pool water, a free spot devoid of people. With his arms outstretched and the robot between both hands, Clemont took a breath. He reached to the top of the device, flicking on a switch and powering the thing on. A small motor powered on inside, whirring and starting many of the processes. Several lights flicked on beneath the metal plating of the device. From the back, a sculpted fin made of plastic extended on a mechanical arm, turning slightly to test itself. Two fins extended from the side, making it look more fish-like and aquatic in appearance.

Satisfied, Clemont carefully lowered the robot into the pool. Once in, the robot swam forward at a slow pace, moving across the water and slowly descending into the waters below. Moments passed, and the robot didn't seem to accelerate any more, instead continually sinking into the pool and heading towards the chalky white bottom of the pool.

Clemont continued to stare deep into the pool, remaining silent. His face faltered slightly.

Serena got to her feet, frowning when she saw Clemont's emotionless face. She stood beside Clemont and hunched over to look in, seeing the swirling image of the robot sinking down towards the bottom. A look of confusion spread over her features as she watched the robot join several other, swirling and unintelligible images, soon realizing that they were the dead shells of previous robots, about thirteen in total.

"Are you not getting the robots back when you get them?" asked Serena.

Clemont turned up to Serena, a rather obvious look of confusion on his face. "I can't swim," he said.

Promptly, Clemont got up from the side of the pool. He reached into the backpack beside his towel workspace, pulling out several mechanical components and organizing them. Taking his tools, he assembled two supporting plates, attaching them to the mechanical spine of a potential fish-shaped robot.

Serena looked dumbstruck, watching Clemont resume his assembling and essentially start over.

Instead of protesting, Serena started back towards the chair she had been sitting at moments earlier. She seemed enraptured by an idea that had suddenly struck her, her eyes seemingly hypnotized as she imagined a possibility that had not occurred to her. Her lips twisted as she hunched over, her head facing Clemont even thought she clearly stared past him. Scratching at her scalp, Serena grabbed her hat from behind her and placed it fittingly back on her head.

* * *

 _I would think of Clemont as a go-to friend. Maybe not on all subjects, but he certainly knows how to help._

 _He's not exactly... wise._

* * *

"Well, 'Mark XV'—um, I mean, 'Mark 15' will be the one, as we can only hope, right Serena?"

Clemont looked back over his shoulder, looking for the toolbag he had set on one of the lounge chairs. Looking up, he saw that Serena had disappeared, no longer standing just over him. He whipped his head around, looking down the length of the pool, seeing lots of unfamiliar faces but no Serena. He frowned, wrinkling his nose as he thought about what that could've meant.

 _Skreeeeeet!_

"Whoaa-a!" Clemont yelped, stumbling back suddenly. He watched as he knocked the towel out from underneath him, dumping the chassis of the robot and dozens of cables and electrical components into the pool. The electrical conduits fizzled on the water's surface before sinking down, effectively killing the robot.

As Clemont looked down into the pool, watching his half-complete robot sink down to the bottom and join the other remnants of dead robots, he suddenly looked up to the source of the shrill noise, gasping.

A lifeguard stood, tall and muscular, hands on the hips of his red swim trunks, a silvery whistle pursed between his lips. He gave Clemont an angry look, staring down at him beneath protective eyewear.

Down at Clemont's feet, a long aluminum rod clattered on the concrete floor. He saw the fishing basket on the end of it. He looked up to the lifeguard, seeing him point to the robots at the bottom of the pool. He swallowed.

"Oh brother..." Clemont whimpered.


	7. Chapter 7

Serena hopped off the sidewalk, crossing at the empty intersection. At the corner, where a city block would've been, a large drop-off down to a large paved area was blocked off by metal railing. Serena held the railing, carefully peering over down into the drop-off just to see how far down it was, before looking up at the large, dome-like structure ahead of her.

A massive stadium took up the large city block, lined with lights and banners, activity booming from within. Large, glowing letters under the brim read 'Pokemon Battle Center', poised above a large glowing Pokeball emblem.

Serena followed the sidewalk closely, walking alongside the railing until the railing opened up into a small ramp, one that switched back and traveled along the side of the tall concrete wall on the side of the sidewalk.

* * *

 _Ash..._

 _Ash is great. He might be the greatest. Not of my friends, but of, well everyone. He wants to be the very best and I can really appreciate that. He has lofty goals, and I... admire that._

 _He is the proud partner of the most powerful Pikachu I—anyone has ever known. I know more than a few people who would like to have Pikachu for themselves, but there's no partner for Pikachu but Ash. Everyone wants to fight Ash and his Pikachu, which is good, because Ash wants to fight everyone too._

 _Ash likes to fight alongside Greninja too. They have a bond that I... can't really understand. I don't know how to explain it, and I won't try._

* * *

Sitting on a bright red bench inside the Battle Center, Serena sat forward, her hands pressed between her knees as she smiled down at Pancham, who rested his back against the pale green, square table that jutted from the ground. She shared the bench with another woman, comfortably close to her as everyone else was in the packed waiting area. With Pancham flexing his small arms, moving his feet ahead of him in practice of a potential dance routine, Serena watched with a cheerful expression, giggling at Pancham's playful nature. Beside her, the power light on the closed laptop gently pulsed as it rested on the bench.

Abruptly, the whole room erupted into applause, cheering lightly as the main showroom doors to the arena opened, Ash walking out triumphantly with Pikachu on his shoulder. Close behind, another boy walked out, arms crossed and no Pokemon to follow him.

Serena saw Ash and immediately stood up. She clapped enthusiastically, beaming and cheering for him as he entered and made his way through the droves of gathered people. Beside her boots, Pancham hopped up atop the table, throwing up a fist and cheering.

Serena watched Ash, clapping happily as he crossed and walked along the front wall, heading towards a counter. Seeing that he hadn't seen her, Serena's face faltered for a moment, her clapping subsiding, any semblance of a smile fading away.

At the front of the waiting area was a wide counter, the neon Pokemon emblem above it and the various tall racks of medical equipment behind the counter seeming out of place in the sporty location. A pink-haired Nurse Joy stood at the front counter with several of her pink-haired companions working in the background. The whole waiting area seemed dim in light of the Pokemon Center, the overwhelming blue light radiating from the front and all the way through the room.

From a pouch on the side of his backpack, Ash removed several Pokeballs, setting them in slots on a tray on the counter. As if he had caught him off-guard, Ash turned his head to see Pikachu rawl across his shoulders, perching himself momentarily. Ash tapped the tray on the counter below, and instinctively Pikachu leaped from his shoulder and landed atop the counter, walking on his hind legs towards the tray and promptly sitting down inside, his jagged, lightning bolt tail sticking up between his two legs, clutched between his two forearms.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried, a spark of electrical energy leaving the red spots on his cheeks. Smiling, black eyes beaming, Pikachu hopped up on his hind legs and pointed to Serena who had approached the counter from the side.

Surprised and confused, Ash looked beside himself to see where Pikachu had pointed, turning and yelping in surprise as Serena had approached from the side. He stumbled back and caught the counter, immediately hopping up and straightening himself, looking sheepish and scratching the back of his head.

"Serena! What are you doing here?" asked Ash.

* * *

 _Wait, let me start over._

 _Do I believe in fate? Kinda._

 _I met my best friend Ash Ketchum when I was six, and now I travel with him everyday, adventuring through the Kalos region. I knew he was special and would be important to me, I knew that then, but I didn't know that this is what that feeling meant. After all, it was just a feeling. I was still getting that feeling for a long time._

 _It's a... special feeling._

* * *

Serena looked sheepish as well. She looked sideways, watching as Nurse Joy, wearing a sporty jersey with the facility logo on it, carried Pikachu and the other Pokemon on the tray to a healing bed, covering her lips with an embarrassed smile. She giggled nervously, her eyes seemingly shrinking back as she looked up to Ash. Though she could feel her cheeks were still the same creamy shade she always had, she could feel her ears burning like Pikachu's cheeks, hot against the tufts of hair that stuck out beneath her hat.

"I... Came to see you battle! You did great in there!"

"Oh wow! It was just a practice round, nothing crazy," said Ash. "How was breakfast with Bonnie?"

"It left a lot to be desired."

"I'm sure it wasn't nearly as amazing as having breakfast at sunrise! Me and Pikachu went for a run on the beach this morning, and it was awesome! We've been training all morning, and we finally decided to get into a practice battle. This is a really cool place!" said Ash.

Serena gave a faltering smile. "I would've loved to have joined you," she said.

"Yeah! That would be awesome!"

* * *

 _I know, it sounds cheesy._

 _It sounds a little... too cheesy. Sorry, let me start over again_


	8. Chapter 8

Entering the dark space of the training area, the lights automatically flicked on, revealing the full length of the space. It was about the size of a two car garage, completely empty with modest padding on the floor. Lines on the floor indicated suggestions for attack patterns, stances and measurable distances. A whiteboard had been built into the northmost wall, largely cleaned. Opposite it, there were several painted outlines of various Pokemon height classes. The lengthwise wall had glass for outsiders to view into, and the opposite wall had various panels that opened up into supply storage.

Setting his backpack against the back wall, Ash walked up to a small panel of the wall, grunting as he pushed in on the release and then pulled the drawer-like section from beneath the wall smoothly, revealing storage. In a holster mounted beneath the unit, a metal rod was set, one that Ash popped out with ease.

"Is this where you all have been training?" Serena asked. She hung around in the doorway, arms crossed as she slouched against it.

On the floor, Pikachu raced around, fresh from his healing with Nurse Joy. An arc of electricity sparked off his back as he charged up, running towards the far wall and skidding to a halt just in time, kicking off of it before racing back towards Ash. He stopped, watching curiously, ears perking as Ash took the metal rod and bringing it to the opposite wall.

"Yeah! Isn't it a great space?" asked Ash, flipping the rod in the air and catching it on the other end, repeating the motion. "I haven't come up with any new attacks yet, but I bet we could really work on some new moves, huh Pikachu?"

"Iiikapika!"

At the far end of the room, the padding on the floor ended in a small margin of hard smooth floor. A small orange section stood out among the green-painted surface, and Ash pressed in with the toe of his sneaker. Hissing quietly, a tall column of metal slowly raised and pushed the orange section upward, bringing it to about waist-high with Ash and then stopping. The orange section split, revealing a holster for the metal rod that Ash had in his hands.

Serena's boot heel kicked idly against the doorframe, watching curiously as Ash prepped the rod. Her arms were folded. Her bag was slung over her shoulder, not quite as at-home in the practice space as Ash and Pikachu were.

"What have you been doing?" asked Ash. He released his grip on the rod, watching it carefully as the holster supported it, perfectly upright, its chrome-coated surface gleaming in the florescent lighting.

Serena blinked. "Me?" she asked blindly. "I... Not a whole lot, really. I... I visited Clemont earlier."

"Yeah? What is he doing?"

"He's... He's building a robot to work in a swimming pool..." said Serena.

"Like a swimming robot? That's awesome!" said Ash. He took a few steps down the padded surface, holding his hands up in front of his vision to ensure that the rod was level.

"I guess... That's about all I've done today..."

"Ready Pikachu?" asked Ash, pumping his fist, wearing a determined grin.

"Pikaa!"

Ash threw his hand out, pointing to the starting line on the mat, one that Pikachu raced near-instantly to before skidding to a halt. Then, pointing at the rod he had just set up, Ash shouted at the top of his lungs, a fury in his eyes.

"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

Electricity sparking wildly from his cheeks, Pikachu bore down on all fours, raising his tail high, charging. His whole body crackled with surging yellow electricity, ripping over his fur and building towards a mass around him. He let out a high-pitched cry of battle, his eyes locked on the rod as he focused. Finally, at a peak of charged energy, Pikachu unleashed an arc of electricity, shooting the dense charge towards the rod in a powerful blast. The impact on the rod sparked off into air, moments before surrounding the rod in a storm of electrical energy, collecting on the rod.

The whole room flashed with light, blinding compared to the rest of the world. Ash had thrown his arm up in front of his eyes, letting out a loud groan of pain. He had launched himself back towards the wall, holding himself to it blindly, his ears overwhelmed by the crackling, surging power and Pikachu's battle cries.

Just outside the room, Serena had crouched down to protect herself, covering her face with one hand and throwing her arm out in front of her to protect against any loose electricity that came her way, even though there was a whole barrier of glass and steel between her and Pikachu's electric onslaught. Though she had been surprised by Pikachu's power, she took it all with a modicum of general interest in what Ash was doing, more confused than anything. Deep down, through her blank stare and confusion as she covered herself, she caught herself smiling, somewhat pleased with Ash's display.

All at once, the arc of electricity ended, Pikachu's body no longer surging with pure electric energy. The bright yellow coat on his body looked somewhat drained. He panted audibly, his eyes tired and his tail drooping.

"Alright Pikachu! Awesome!" said Ash, pumping his fist in air, grinning ear to ear.

The rod glowed orange, super-heated by the shock that surrounded it. Some of the electrical components on the lifted platform emanated a black smoke in small wisps, the lights burnt out and exploded, any exposed cables dripping off the rubber coating that had melted.

"Wow Ash, is that what you've been working on?" Serena beamed.

"Yep! I'm working on Pikachu's overall strength when he uses a move like Thunderbolt!" said Ash.

"Clearly you've been working on the 'wow' factor too," she giggled.

"Heh, yeah I guess so!"

Ash slipped a thick, padded glove onto his hand, clasping a pair of tongs. He reached up with the tongs and gripped the metal rod, releasing it from the holster on the platform and lifting it up carefully. Down by his foot, just by the platform, a blue panel was built into the floor. When Ash pushed in with the toe of his sneaker, the panel lowered slightly, retracting into the side and revealing a pool of cool water. Ash released the tongs and dropped the rod inside. As soon as it sank into the water, a cloud of steam rushed up, the rod hissing loudly on the water's surface.

Stepping back, Ash lifted his hat, batting it upward and letting messy black hair fall out for a moment before he secured it snugly atop his head, pushing down his hair. He walked back towards the open wall panel, reaching into the mounted storage unit and pulling out another unused metal rod.

As Ash played with the rod, a look of confusion came over Serena's face.

"Ash... Are you going to go again?"

Ash paused. Beside his leg, the rod continued to steam inside the cubic pool of water. "Yeah, I was. Me and Pikachu have lots more training to do, we were probably going to go for the rest of the day," he said. Though he didn't realize it, a deadly breath came from Serena, as both she and him knew the deadly question was coming. "Why do you ask?"

"Well..." Serena's body language closed up. Her boot kicked out in front of her, nudging the metal door frame as she had earlier. Her arms folded. She hung her head down for a moment, staring off into space, her hat covering her head. "I... I was wondering if you wanted to go get some dinner...?"

Ash stared blankly. "I don't think I can Serena, sorry."

All the breath left Serena's chest. She swallowed, painfully, taking a moment to consider what he had just said, choosing to nod softly. "Okay," she mumbled.

Ash rested the rod in the holster on the platform, neglecting to tighten it and leaving it to slouch over in the holster. He walked over, passing a confused Pikachu on the floor, stopping by the door. He removed the glove over his hand, putting it on her shoulder. As Serena looked up, seeing him, Ash paused carefully, watching her.

"What are you going to do now?" asked Ash.

Serena was seemingly in shock, looking up in confusion at Ash. "W... What do you mean...?"

"Are you going to do all those things you mentioned? Are you going to that clothing store you mentioned? Are you going to the beach?"

"Beach...?"


	9. Chapter 9

Serena had only made it a few steps outside the practice space. She paused, looking down the length of the subterranean hall, hearing only the muffled sounds of battle happening beneath the sealed walls, glass windows rattling gently as battle beneath rocked the walls. She couldn't see Ash or Pikachu any more.

Turning away, Serena hit the 'up' button for the elevator beside her. She held her arms, rubbing them comfortingly, slumping against the wall in defeat.

* * *

 _After all, it was just a feeling. I was still getting that feeling for a long time._ _It's a... special feeling._

* * *

Reading over the words silently, Serena leaned against the wall, sitting on the floor. The laptop was propped over her legs.

She moused over the words above with the trackpad, then hitting delete. She typed something new.

* * *

 _Ash is great._

* * *

The lobby of the Battle Center had cleared, with groups of people sparsely lingering through the wide space. The silvery turnstiles at the entrance to the building were completely free of the lines Serena had seen when she first entered. The many mounted monitors on the surrounding walls had turned to blank waiting screens, only one or two showing any battles from any of the other rooms.

Serena walked alone, entering from the wings of the area. She wasn't watching where she was going, staring blankly ahead of her. Her arms hung by her side with nothing to do.

Down by her legs, Pancham walked ahead on stubby legs, a worried look on his face. He walked ahead quickly, moving up in front of Serena, just far enough to turn around and look up to Serena's face. He waved his little black arms, looking up at her.

"Paaaan...?"

Serena blinked. She looked up at Pancham, seeing the worried look on his face. She gave a light smile, her dead and intense stare softening up when she saw him.

She squatted, the toes of her boots curling, her knees bowing out as she brought herself closer to Pancham. As she reached down to the ground, her hand rubbing her knee thoughtlessly, Pancham wandered up to her and hugged her knee, his little, chapped paws scratching against the material of her stockings. She reached for his head, his head bobbing down beneath the passing shadow of her hand as she stroked his fur lightly.

As Pancham purred, his tiny voice letting out small, Pokemon-ish words of comfort, Serena's head tipped sideways, staring out past him as she lost herself in thought. The smile on her face faded slowly, her stroking fingers slowing just behind his ears. Her gaze faltered, looking down past Pancham and at the tile floors.

Just behind her, Serena unzipped her bag. She worked her hand into the small opening, feeling blindly through the contents, until her fingers brushed against something round and plastic. She grasped it, pulling out the unusually light Pokeball. She brought it around in front of her, holding it just above her lap. Her eyes lingered on the Pokeball in her one hand, her fingers working through the fur on Pancham's head.

The tranquil, sleepy look on Pancham's face faded slowly, his eyes landing on the Pokeball in her hand. The paw that rubbed up against the material of Serena's stockings slipped down, slowly becoming limper. Pancham's whole face rested against her knee, slouching. The deep black, pit-like eyes he had flashed up to Serena in a blink, watching her expression.

Beneath conflicted features, Serena looked to Pancham, offering a smile. She leaned in, kissing his forehead.

"It'll be okay sweetie," she said quietly, smiling.

As she pressed the white release on the Pokeball, an arc of red light shot out at Pancham, his whole figure flashing in a brief, red image of himself, moments before disippating and following the red arc of energy back into the Pokeball. The Pokeball rattled, becoming heavier in Serena's grip, a metallic ringing coming from the inside of the device.

Serena stood up straight, taking a deep, sighing breath. She looked upward, following the blinding streams of honey-colored sunlight that washed over her. Squinting, she saw outside the large, wide windowed front entrance of the facility as the sun set over the island, passing beneath city-like buildings and heading towards the horizon, painting the sky a glowing pink.

Serena took a few steps forward, watching the day end. Beneath the warmth of the sun, her expression became less quiet and contemplative, realization slowly coming to her.

Taking a few steps towards the exit, Serena picked up the pace, exiting through the doors, walking out onto the concrete bridge that spanned to the street.

* * *

Atop a tall brick building, laying flat with their arms propped over the edge of the building, Jesse, James and Meowth all held binoculars to their eyes, watching a lone figure at the bottom of the street.

"Twerpette seems to be walking alone," said Jesse. "No Ash or Pikachu with her."

"Not even any of her own Pokemon are with her!" said James.

"Someone's in the doghouse," said Meowth.

After a beat of silence, both Jesse and James lowered their binoculars, looking at Meowth between them. They both shot Meowth foul looks, grimacing.

"Meowth, don't be ridiculous. The complexities of human relationships aren't just something we can just gossip about," said Jesse. "Besides, twerp and twerpette should probably think about finishing puberty before thinking about anything serious. If there's any 'juicy' details it's going to be over a juice box and crayons," she finished, putting her binoculars back up to her eyes.

"Love is for adults, not brats and Pokemon," said James, already looking through his binoculars.

"Hey now, I's was only thinkin' out loud," said Meowth, annoyed. "Whats' do you guys know about 'love', anyway?"

Jessie nearly dropped her binoculars. " _Meowth_!"

"What? Its reasonable speculation!" protested Meowth, giving Jesse an angry look.

"Jessie and I know plenty about love. I have had my bouts of fiery passion and brushed against the flames of true love a few times myself," said James. "Perhaps you could enlighten us with what exactly some simpleton Pokemon like _you_ knows about love?"

"Yes! Enlighten us! And just so you know, I've been _burdened_ with such blisteringly hot affairs and enough deeply romantic gestures to last a lifetime! How dare you!" shouted Jesse, closing in on Meowth quickly, visibly threatening to tear him limb from limb.

"Yech! Alright, jeez," Meowth scowled, backing away. "Maybes I ask you next time I's need an expert on the opposite sex, or maybes I asks you about how to let twerpette get away!" he shouted, pointing back over the edge of the roof.

James yelped, putting his binoculars back over his eyes and looking down to the concrete bridge where Serena had been moments earlier. She was gone.

"Twerpette doesn't have Pikachu, let her mope," said Jesse. "We wait until Ash and his Pikachu leave the Battle Center, then we strike!"


	10. Chapter 10

A set of metal elevator doors slid open, opening up the elevator to a simple, hotel hallway. Serena stepped out, adjusting the hat on her head.

Her hand was buried in the pocket of her long, red vest. She continually looked up as she walked, mindful of her steps, finding the thin scrap of paper from the inside of her pocket. Pulling her hand free, she unfolded the small scrap: the number '56' was written on it.

Dozens of simple, decoratively-trimmed doors lined the hall, all with hotel room numbers set on labels in the center of them. Several small glowing lamps were mounted to the wall, casting warm, comfy lights through out. Down beneath Serena's boots, a sensible pattern covered the carpet of the hall. In the deafening silence, an ice machine rattled at the far end of the hall, the low hum of air conditioning accompanying the cool sensation on her skin as well as the clean, homely smell.

Serena stopped in front of a door. The glowing, lamp-lit label affixed to the door read '56'. As she raised a fist to knock on the door, she paused, looking down at the floor. A small, blue piece of card stock rested on the floor, Serena's name on the front of it. She stooped down, reaching for the card, lifting it.

On the other side of it, the plastic key card to the room had been taped on. A note was written hastily below.

* * *

 _'Serena,_

 _'Went down to the mini mart to get snacks. Took some of the grocery money. I need about P8000 to pay for room service. The guy at the front counter downstairs really needs it, so pay as soon as you can._

 _'Thanks! Bonnie'_

* * *

Tearing the key card from the tape, Serena crushed the blue card in her grip, letting out a loud groan of annoyance. Her teeth ground together in anger, her cheeks flaring up red.

"Bonnie..." Serena scowled.

* * *

The hotel room felt exactly the same as it had that morning, but the sun had set outside the window, and Serena hadn't done anything.

Serena turned the lamp on at the desk, plopping herself down in the chair. She let out a deep sigh, sitting forward dejectedly. Letting her bag slip over her arm, she lowered it to the ground, hearing it thump against the bottom of the desk. She slumped forward, leaning herself against the wooden surface, resting her head on it's side. She felt her pink fedora pop off, rolling up and leaning against the wall.

She shut her eyes, her upper lip stiffening.

"Write something..." she repeated to herself again, the words coming to her like a ghost.

Serena suddenly sat herself up, pausing as she looked at the surface of the desk where she had been resting only moments earlier. Her blonde hair hung around her like a wreath, hanging in strange wisps all around her head, partially blinding her. She continued to stare, thinking to herself.

Lifting the hat that had been propped between the desk and the wall, Serena set the hat over on the bed. She ran her hands over the desk, clearing it of loose hairs that may have fallen from her head. Then, after taking a sigh, she reached into her bag, pulling the laptop out and laying it flat on the desk.

When the lid flipped open, the glow from the screen that faced Serena lit her features, casting light on the confused, conflicting expressions Serena wore and deepening them. She froze, reading the words she had written on the document.

Serena's hands reached out, her fingertips finding the keys. Once more, she began to type.

* * *

 _And Bonnie._

 _Bonnie can be a nuisance sometimes. She can be the most annoying person in the world, and I'm sometimes reminded of that on a daily basis, especially when I travel with her. She can be cute, but sometimes... sometimes she's too much to handle._

 _And the most annoying part about her is..._

* * *

Serena paused for a moment. Looking down, she realized her hands were shaking. Her hands continued to hover over the keys, a mental barrier between her fingers and the keyboard below, her eyes transfixed. She couldn't make sense of why she was hesitating, but she felt a deathly fear.

Swallowing, she continued, feeling a strange feeling bubble up in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

 _...She's usually right._

 _She's always right._

 _Bonnie is very young, but she's very bright. I'm sure she gets it from her brother, but she's bright in a plethora of other ways. Ways that Clemont isn't bright in, like people things._

 _She's annoying, she makes me crazy, but she's very insightful when she wants to be, and she's right. She knows exactly how to push my buttons, sometimes in good ways and in others bad. She knows exactly what to say, especially when I need to hear it. She's brutally honest, too._

 _I know she's not my sister, but I love her like a sister._

 _And I'm sorry, Bonnie. I'm sorry I was rude to you._

 _I'm sorry I couldn't admit you were right. Now I can, and it's too late._

* * *

Serena sat herself back, her gaze transfixed to the page. Even when she blinked, she couldn't find the strength to look away, just as if she was hypnotized. She choked, realizing the feeling had moved from the pits of her stomach to the apex of her neck, bulging and bubbling, wanting to break through. She soon found a burning sensation just behind her eyes, making her tear up.

As she blinked, feeling her sinuses burn beneath her eyes, she realized that's exactly what the feeling was: sadness. It was coming in tears.

Serena croaked. She swallowed deeply but it wouldn't stop the feeling. She could feel the tears running down her cheeks in hot slicks, the tears burning all around her eyes.

* * *

 _I was boring. I have been boring._

 _Bonnie was right. Bonnie is right._

 _There's something Bonnie doesn't know, something that even I can't understand, and it's that I'm afraid._

 _Something has been holding me back. When I started this journey, I was adventurous. I was rebellious. I was free-spirited, I wanted to explore the whole world and I felt like I had it at my fingertips. I traveled with my friends because they enabled that in me, they stoked that fire inside of me. When my friends have gone off today and done what they wanted to do, when they've had their own separate paths and adventures to go find, I've grown quiet. I've isolated myself and lived in fear of what I could be doing right now._

 _What will I do when they've truly gone? What will I do when I'm on my own?_

 _I am afraid of being alone._

* * *

Serena lifted the collar of her shirt, pressing the thin white material to just beneath her eyes, dabbing at her soaking cheeks. She held her arms, weeping softly, no longer caring about the frayed mess of hair that hung around her head, sticking to her wet cheeks. Her fingers gripped the material of her shirt, holding it close as she forgot about keeping it clean and neat.

After a moment, shutting the laptop, Serena leaned forward, holding her head in her hands, feeling her tears subside.


	11. Chapter 11

The door launched itself open, flinging forward and slamming against the side of the wall. The walls rattled, thudding with the large sound.

Serena sat herself up in bed, snapped from her hypnotic stupor. She looked up at the glowing screen of the TV, fumbling for the remote in the dark bed sheets beside her, grasping the remote and pointing it at the set on the counter across the room, turning the TV off. The whole bedroom was suddenly immersed in darkness without the light of the TV on. Getting up, squinting through the darkness, the light of the outer hall washed over the interior, lighting the small passage between the main room and the outside. As Serena got to her feet, hopping over the bed, she saw the light of the bathroom flash on the hall as it turned on.

"Ededednne!" A familiar, shrill Pokemon voice squealed.

As Serena hurried around the length of the bed, she came around the corner, hearing the familiar pitter-patter of Bonnie's light steps. She slowed herself down, coming around the corner into the bathroom. Down on the ground, just short of her feet, Dedenne looked up at Serena, his black eyes shimmering with desperation and worry as he looked up to Serena, prodding at her in a desperate bid for help.

A look of confusion came over Serena as she met with Dedenne's gaze. Looking up, looking down the narrow hotel bathroom to the far end of the room where the toilet was, she saw Bonnie on her knees, head facing into the bowl, her tiny hands gripping the sides of the toilet bowl. Wide-eyed, Serena suddenly realized what was going on, turning her head and looking away in time.

"Ahhh... Oh gosh... _Hrrrkk!_ " wailed Bonnie, moments before she made a vile retching sound, emptying her stomach into the toilet bowl.

Serena couldn't bring herself to look. With the collar of the sleepwear t-shirt she wore in her hand, she lifted the collar over her nose, covering her nose as a foul stench filled the bathroom. The sounds were enough to make her cringe.

"Oh Bonnie... Oh goodness... What happened...? What did you do...?" asked Serena. She looked over suddenly in a panic, seeing Bonnie flop over.

Gasping for air, her face twisted up with a sick expression, her complexion a bright green, Bonnie looked up to Serena, her stomach gurgling audibly. She reached up weakly, her arm shaking as she laid on her side, grabbing the flushing handle of the toilet and tugging down, the toilet making an audible plunging sound as it flushed what was out of sight. Wincing, clutching her stomach, Bonnie sat herself up.

"The oranges..." Bonnie moaned. "It was the oranges...!"

Serena squatted down, looking at Bonnie with deep concern. Her eyes raced over the floor as she thought, too confused to make any sense of what had just happened or what Bonnie was saying. When she opened her mouth to speak, a look of realization slowly dawning on her, Bonnie grabbed her by the shirt, pulling her in close so that they were face to face.

"I... Ate the oranges...! This morning...!" said Bonnie. "The ones from the trash...! And they made me... Sick...!"

Too confused to even speak, Serena shook the feeling off, shaking her head and narrowing her eyes at Bonnie.

"But... What about all that stuff you said? All that stuff you said about being boring and having some excitement in your life...?"

"Forget all that...! I'm super sick right now...!" Bonnie wailed.

As Bonnie went to say something again, she was cut off by a loud gurgling sound from her stomach. Both her and Serena looked down, then back up, staring at each other with deep worry. Bonnie suddenly lurched, putting a hand over her mouth as her cheeks ballooned, her eyes wide with shock. Her eyes suddenly crossed, her stomach rumbling with an intensity so powerful it could've shook the walls.

With a passing thought to her shirt, Serena grabbed Bonnie by the hips, pulling her off the floor and back around onto her knees in front of the toilet, helping aim her head. When she heard the familiar, pained sounds of Bonnie vomiting, Serena sighed and looked away, covering her own mouth with her shirt again.

"I'm... I'm sorry Serena..." Bonnie said, catching her breath as she lifted her head from the bowl just enough. "You were right... I shouldn't have eaten those oranges... I-I'm sorry I called you b-boring... _Hrrk!_ "

As Bonnie faced her head down, her tiny body convulsing as she threw up into the toilet, Serena gave a wistful, sad look out towards the open door, thinking to herself. None of what was happening beside her seemed to faze her, she was too deep in thought.

Down beneath by their legs, running up between where Bonnie was kneeling and where Serena sat on the bathtub's edge, Dedenne looked up, pawing at the toilet bowl softly, trying to get both of their attention.

"Dedenn...?" Dedenne whined softly.

Looking down, Serena couldn't bring herself to smile. She stared at Dedenne, then scooped him up into her arms, holding him in her lap as Bonnie finished. She sighed, again.


	12. Chapter 12

Serena sat alone at a small cafe table, staring blankly at the laptop in front of her. The screen continually glowed with the words she had written before. A deeply worried look blanketed her as she recalled what had happened just moments earlier in the hotel bathroom, an event she couldn't shake from her when she reread the page on the screen. Every time she tried to read again, she visibly cringed with the memories of today.

Giving a glance outside the cafe, past the tall stone columns that supported the open structure of the Cafe Luxe, Serena could see the darkness of the streets, with streetlights casting an amber haze over the tourists and visitors to the island. It was night, and Serena's first day on Costa Nova had ended.

Sighing, Serena folded her arms, leaning forward against the table. She blinked her eyes steadily as she fidgeted in her seat, feeling the sleepiness of the evening come to her.

"Ma'am?"

Serena looked up, following the sound of the voice. She looked back, seeing a young waitress standing just beside her, smiling awkwardly beneath a worried brow.

"Ma'am, we're still working on your food. It'll be just a moment," she said. "Also... The housekeeping services of the resort say they are still working on touching things up. They said it could be another hour."

Serena nodded softly. "Okay... And Bonnie...?"

The smile returned to the waitress' features, if only for a moment. She nodded as well. "They said that she'll just be with the resort nurse for a little bit longer. They said her brother is already there with her."

"Good," said Serena, smiling.

As Serena turned away, refocusing on the contents of her laptop's display, the waitress paused just away from Serena's table. She had taken a few steps away from the table, ready to head back to the cafe's kitchen, but she hesitated. She gave a passing look to the pot of coffee she wielded in her hand, chewing her lip silently. She came back around to the side of the table, making sure she was in Serena's view, leaning in just enough to make sure Serena could see her from above her laptop.

"Sweetie, is everything okay?" asked the waitress.

"I'm... I'm fine!" Serena said, almost in protest. Her enthusiasm faded almost instantly. "I... It's okay... I'm just feeling a little, 'off', that's all..."

The waitress frowned, thinking to herself. She then looked up to Serena, giving a flash of a smile, then pausing again as she turned away. She finally walked away after a moment, heading towards the back.

* * *

A plate of colorful, rounded macaroons had been set in front of Serena. Holding a bright, lime-green colored one, a bite already taken out of the middle with cream oozing out of the foamy interior, the candy shell cracked on the outside, Serena chewed silently, savoring the flavor. Though she visibly enjoyed the taste of the macaroons, something seemed off.

Over to the side of the table, the laptop had been set aside. The laptop screen under the lid was still propped up, but the screen had darkened, the fan whizzing at a much quieter level now that the laptop had gone to sleep. The light pulsed gently at the bottom of the lid as it stayed in sleep mode.

As Serena finished the rest of the lime-green macaroon, she gently wiped her fingers on a napkin, taking the napkin and wiping away her lips. In the corner of the table, the laptop screen lit up suddenly showing a new message. Serena paused, midway through wiping her lips, leaning in and narrowing her eyes to inspect the message that had appeared.

The window that took up the center of the screen was a flashing window, with words in the center: 'Incoming Call: Mom'.

Serena's eyes went wide, and she gasped. With her heart racing, Serena quickly set the plate of macaroons to the side, setting the napkin down beside it. She reached over and grasped the laptop, lifting it and pulling it to her side, setting it down in front of herself. Unsure what to do, her breathing quick and panicked, her hands felt over the keyboard briefly as she tried to figure out how to answer the call, losing her sense of logic for a moment. After taking a deep breath, inspecting the window and looking at the colorful buttons along the bottom of it, Serena took the trackpad on the laptop, pointing the cursor at the button that looked like a phone and clicking in.

The whole screen went dark. As Serena's eyes darted around every inch of the glossy display, looking around in confusion, she looked up at the camera on top of the laptop. A tiny light appeared next to the camera. Looking down at the darkness of the laptop's screen, Serena froze for a moment as the screen was suddenly filled with a reflection of her-what the camera was showing of her. Instead of reacting with fear, Serena suddenly noticed that the part in her hair was slightly off, and that her hair looked deflated. She quickly fluffed up her hair, giving a passing glance down to her shirt and adjusting it briefly.

Moments later, the screen changed. Serena's reflection minimized to the corner, with a new figure appearing in the center. She saw the familiar landscape of home, the living room lights glowing softly on the walls and lighting the person in the center. As the grainy, pixel-y screen diffused slowly, giving more and more detail, Serena could see it was her mom. She gasped.

"Hi sweetie!" the laptop speakers crackled. The distorted, tinny voice sounded like her mother's.

It took Serena a moment to process what was going on. She gasped quietly, unable to help a smile. "H-Hi mom...! W-Wow...!"

"Pretty neat huh?"

"Y-Yeah...! But, how...?" asked Serena, completely stupefied.

"Oh Serena, I should've explained earlier, I'm so sorry. I meant to send a card with the laptop so that it would explain everything, but I realized today that I had the card right here!" she said, holding up the envelope in front of the camera, addressed and sealed, card inside. "I'm so sorry..."

"So... You sent the laptop...?" A look of realization slowly dawned on Serena.

"Of course! I've been meaning to send it to you for a long time but I've just never had a good opportunity. You're always on the move and I can never seem to get my act together to send it to you in time. I figured as your adventures are winding down, now that the Pokemon Showcases seem to be less and less frequently, I figured this might give you the opportunity to start up some new hobbies!"

Serena didn't seem to be paying attention. Her mind was racing with too many ideas. When she finally looked up to the screen, to her mother, she gave a questioning look.

"Mom... Did you write in there 'write something'?" asked Serena.

On screen, her mom looked sheepish. She gave a small smile, looking away, fidgeting in her seat

"Serena, I know you had always talked about writing or keeping a journal, just to have something with all your private thoughts on hand, and I had always encouraged you to share your thoughts with the world. I figured the time was right to give you that opportunity," she said, visibly beaming, her voice having a quiet excitement to it. "I know you've been busy traveling with Ash and your friends, and I would hate for you to forget about that dream you used to have. I would hate for you to lose that... excitement."

"I... I understand..." Serena said, almost gawking as she thought silently.

"Sweetie, you may not think it, but you're coming to a bit of a crossroads. You might not think things will change, that things will continue to stay the same, but they will. Trust me, I'm your mom," she said. "I just want to encourage you to pursue your passions and don't forget them, you have a lot of life ahead of you. I just felt this might be a good push in a new direction for you."

Serena smiled genuinely. Though her eyes told a different, more conflicted and thoughtful story, she gave a full smile, seeming to be very happy at her mother's kind words.

"Mom, thank you," said Serena.

"You're welcome sweetie. Good luck!"


	13. Chapter 13

"How are your macaroons?"

Serena looked up, seeing the waitress just over her shoulder. She gave passing glance down to the plate of macaroons she had scooted to the side, seeing that it was still full of the brightly-colored confections. She smiled sheepishly.

"They're good! Sorry, just got a bit... distracted. That's all," answered Serena. She moused the cursor of the laptop in front of her, closing down the document in front of her.

As the waitress came around to the side of the table, picking up the used napkin that had been set aside and sat down a new, freshly folded napkin, she looked up at the laptop in front of Serena, nodding towards it.

"Are you a writer?" she asked.

Serena thought about the question, looking at the laptop's screen. The text document with all of her thoughts of the day had been hidden, but it was still fresh on her mind.

* * *

 _Am I a writer?_

 _I've only started to write today in any serious way. Before that, it had been years since I had written, and even then I wasn't writing a lot._

 _There are hobbies that I have that take up way more time and have way more importance to me. Competing in Pokemon Showcases is something that is way more important to me. Even Pokemon training is more important. Writing probably isn't even third on the list of things that are important to me._

* * *

"Not exactly," Serena offered up a smile, despite how fake it looked.

The waitress nodded sagely. "Just working on something late at night? Just something to pass the time?"

Serena chuckled nervously. "Yeah, exactly," she said.

From one of the set tables beside Serena's, the waitress reached over, picking up an overturned glass mug. She set it down on Serena's table, just beside her laptop. When Serena looked over at the mug, seeming confused, the waitress wielded the full, sloshing coffee pot in front of her, looking it over and smiling lightly.

"Can I give you a bit of free advice?" asked the waitress, lowering the lip of the pot towards the empty mug. A steady trickle of steaming coffee poured into the glass mug.

Serena watched the mug get filled, her curiosity taking over her confusion. "What is it?"

The waitress pulled the pot back, setting the mug closer to Serena. She then reached back, grabbing a small tray of assorted creams and sugars, setting it beside Serena's coffee.

"A bit of coffee goes a long way when you need to write," the waitress winked.

Serena swallowed, the warm aroma of the coffee reaching her nose, making it wrinkle. Biting her lip, she looked up at the waitress, seeming a bit put-off.

"Ma'am, I really don't drink coffee..." said Serena, looking bashful.

"Well, I said it was free advice," chuckled the waitress. "I'm not charging you for the coffee, you certainly don't have to try it."

* * *

 _But..._

 _I still write._

 _I believe that writing is an important skill, and it especially speaks to me. I think it is necessary to share one's experience and commit it to paper, even if you're just sharing it with yourself._

 _Part of the reason I don't consider myself a writer is the fact that I don't write books. I don't write novels or stories, or essays or hardly any letters. I just write what comes to mind. I write what I believe to be true, and that's all I can really hope for._

* * *

The tapping sounds of Serena's keyboard had grown silent. Serena's hands remained tucked under the table, resting in her lap. Even though she continued to think of what to write, her eyes occasionally wandering back to the screen, all her attention was taken up by a single steaming mug beside her.

The black, murky surface of her coffee reflected Serena's own worried image back at her. She chewed her lip nervously, thinking to herself, her fingers tapping on her knee as she thought of what to do with the coffee.

A look of resolve appeared in Serena's eyes, and she reached out for the mug. She grasped the handle, her other fingers lightly holding the warm side as she lifted the mug up. As the rim approached her lips, Serena hesitated, feeling the heat and steam rise from the surface, making her eyes water. Taking a deep breath brought the heavenly, woodsy aroma to her sinuses, almost instantly energizing her. She blew lightly, sending ripples over the surface, before pressing the mug up to her lips and taking a sip.

The reaction was instant. Though the coffee was hot, it didn't burn her tongue. She still winced, her face souring up as the bitter flavor went straight to her tongue. Her shoulders tensed up, rolling uncomfortably and her head stiffly moving from side to side. Her eyes had squeezed shut, though she opened an eye to make sure she was safely setting down the mug.

As Serena relaxed, swallowing and trying to get the flavor out of her system, Serena reached for the tray of creams and sugars and took out a small creamer cup, tearing the lid off and pouring in the milky substance. Tossing aside the empty cup, Serena grabbed a packet of sugar and tore it open over the swirling black surface, then another, and another, and one more for good measure. The black coffee turned a rosy brown, swirling with tan streaks. Taking a spoon, Serena stirred up the coffee quickly, making one homogeneous blend.

Removing the spoon, Serena quickly lifted the mug again, blowing lightly and taking a sip. She braced herself for the bitterness but it never came. Serena let the taste linger on her tongue a little more. She blinked, seeming more invigorated.

Serena lifted the mug, looking at it closely. In the mug's glossy reflection, a smile appeared.

* * *

 _So, what do I believe to be true?_

 _I don't know that I'll ever win a Pokemon Showcase, but I will continue to try. When I say 'try', I always mean 'do my best', because to me nothing else matters if I try my hardest and give it my all. I would rather be bested by someone like Aria if I know she won because she truly is better. While I am sad that I lost, I know deep down I gave my all, and that's all that matters._

 _I will always love traveling with my friends. There is so much of Kalos that we've explored, and I know there's so much more left to discover. I owe it to myself to keep going and discover all there is and find more opportunities to become a better person. More than that, I will always love my friends. They are my family, and I wouldn't trade them for the world. I know they love me when they are not around, because I love them too._

 _I love my Pokemon. They are all special to me uniquely._

 _Braixen will be Braixen and I love who she is, but I will always treasure her as Fenniken, too. We are more similar than I always think, and through each other we learn about ourselves, even through our differences._

 _Pancham will always be a troublemaker, but he's my troublemaker. I love him dearly. He can be the voice of reason in his own way, always in a way I never expect._

 _And Sylveon... My little Eevee._

 _I try everyday to bring out the best in her, but sometimes I have to realize that she's trying to bring out the best in me too. It can be tough to have that back-and-forth._

 _And... I'm very sorry for what happened to you..._

* * *

"Enjoying your coffee?

"Huh?"

Serena's gaze immediately launched up towards the waitress, her eyes wide and alert. A visibly wired look had appeared in her eyes, making her seem somewhat manic.

The waitress fired back a weird look, but she smiled out of satisfaction. "Glad I could introduce you to something new," she said, chuckling. "I hope it's been a good experience for you."

Serena blushed, swallowing deeply. Shaking off the unusual feeling, she looked back down at her laptop as the waitress walked away. She looked over what she had written on the laptop, the screen having filled up with words. She looked down at her fingers, stretching them gently, feeling the little joints pop as she realized they felt somewhat sore.

Rereading the last line, Serena reached for her coffee. She saw it was only half full now.

* * *

 _Being honest with things like that is probably the easiest part._

 _There also parts of me that are hard to be honest with._

 _I don't necessarily plan on becoming a writer, and this isn't me dipping my toe into that. This is me being honest with myself, because it's something that I need more than anything right now._

 _Everyday, from now on, I want to be completely honest. I don't know where the finish line is for something like this, but I will be honest from now on, with you and with me._

* * *

On the laptop screen, a new screen had appeared. It wasn't the same text document Serena had been pouring over, it was a webpage. In the center of the screen, a big title read 'Thanks for signing up!'.

Down below, Serena clicked the button that said 'Start Your Blog'.

* * *

 _And I want you to help me be honest. That's why I'm starting this blog._

 _My name is Serena, ask me anything!_

* * *

The top of the screen showed the title, 'Serena's Blog'. A body of text had been filled with excerpts from the document, edited and neatly organized into paragraphs and thoughts. Serena was just tapping the last few lines out on her keyboards, her eyes narrowed at the glowing pixels that raced along the bottom of the screen.

When she finished typing, she reached for her mug of coffee, finishing what little coffee remained inside. She silently reread the contents of her newest journal.

Then, moving her cursor down to the bottom of the page, Serena clicked 'Publish'.


	14. Chapter 14

"Pana! Chamchamchaa!"

Down by Serena's legs, Pancham hopped along happily, skipping between bricks in the road and trying to stay ahead of Serena as they both walked down between buildings. He spat chunks of green leaf, a lone leaf clamped between his teeth as he chanted incessantly.

Giggling to herself, Serena walked along the street, passing by various tourists and keeping to herself. Her hands had buried deep in the pockets of her red vest. The heels of her boots kicked against the brick road without a thought. She kept her a tad down, watching the brick pass by beneath her, seeing Pancham weave in and out of the corners of her vision. She wore a demure, quiet smile, having found some satisfaction for the day.

"Pikapika!"

Serena's head turned, a look of surprise on her face as she heard a familiar sound. She saw who she had thought she had heard, Pikachu, but saw something completely different.

Pikachu was in a cage, held by a familiar-looking man in a familiar-looking uniform. Serena recognized the trio standing just ahead of her in the road, making her gasp. It was Team Rocket; Jessie, James and Meowth, with Pikachu's cage in James' grip. All three of them stopped, seeing Serena where she was in the middle of the road. Three smirks appeared on all of them.

"Well, look what wandered back," said Jessie, grinning, a hand planted on her hip.

"Seems your friend a rough tumble back there," said James. "I can't say it was all that accidental."

"The both of yous don't woirk so good when yous separated, huh? Seems like yous two have like complementary character traits or something," said Meowth.

Serena gritted her teeth, her hands curling up into fists at her sides. She looked at all of them, seeing their arrogant faces and feeling contempt stir in her stomach. Looking down at the cage in James' hand, she saw Pikachu at the bars, clinging to it with a worried look.

"What did you do to Ash?" Serena asked, her voice loud and commanding.

"Nothing you'd wants to see, sweetheart," Meowth snarled.

"I don't know, I think you're about to get a taste yourself," said James.

"I hear it's an awful lot like what happened to that precious Sylveon of yours," said Jessie, tauntingly.

Serena felt like a vein was bursting out of her forehead. She saw red for a moment, her face flashing with pure anger. She reached into her bag, grabbing a Pokeball, moments before Pancham leaped out from the sidelines of just beside her leg, putting himself between Serena and the Rocket trio.

"Where is he?" Serena shouted, her voice shaking with anger.

"We don't have to answer to yous!" Meowth shouted back.

Down just in front of Serena, Pancham looked back at Serena, brimming with more fury than his tiny body could handle. He locked eyes with her, popping a toothy grin. At Serena's nod, he bore down, scooting his leg back and prepping himself for a sprint.

"Pancham, use Stone Edge!" said Serena, extending her arm towards the Rocket trio.

"Paaanchaaa!"

A cloud of dust kicked up beneath Pancham's paws as he ran at Team Rocket, his arms held at his side. He then leaped up, throwing his arms up, launching himself through the air and pouncing down on the ground, his paw planting powerfully on the brick surface beneath him. A fissure tore through the earth, the ground rattling and sending an ever-growing split through the street towards the Rockets at lightning speed.

Jessie pulled the Pokeball from her utility belt, bearing down towards Serena from across the battlefield of the open street. Her gloved hand gripped the Pokeball, her teeth gnashing between cherry red lips. She sneered, pointing towards Serena.

"Oh, so you wanna battle Pokemon?" said Jessie. "Well, then prepare for—"

She was cut off. The ground split open beneath her, large splinters of rock launching up from the cracked brick and plowing straight into Jessie, James and Meowth. A large thud came, the sound of rocks snapping off as they collided at high velocity. Through the hazy cloud of dirt belched from the open earth, all three Team Rocket members were suddenly flung through the air, hurtling up through the night sky above the street, tumbling up towards the stars.

Midway to the edge of the sky, Jessie blinked in surprise, feeling her body flip aimlessly through the cool evening air.

"Maybe she doesn't need that twerp after all," groaned James, watching the land beneath him getting further and further away.

"That was completely unfair! She should've let me take the first move!" said Jessie. "Aren't there rules for that sort of thing?"

"Whadda we know abouts following tha' rules...?" Meowth whined.

"Not again!" all three shouted, moments before they disappeared in a single flash.

In the sudden expulsion of rock from the earth at the end of the street, Serena had been launched back. She lay in the middle of the street, on her back, covered in tan dirt. Thin clouds of dust hung through the whole street, making Serena cough weakly.

Stiff, sore, Serena slowly lifted herself up, sitting herself up in the middle of the street. The heel of her hand gently massaged her eyes as she blinked away dust. Something nudged at her side and she looked down, seeing Pancham who had come alongside her. Smiling gently, she rested her hand on her head, petting gently, all the while scanning her surroundings. Her smile faded as she remembered what she had fought over in the first place.

The cage that had been in James' hand, the cage that held Pikachu inside, had been thrown from the explosion. The bars had been bashed in, knocked against the road, the metal lid split open. Pikachu was nowhere to be seen.

Worried, Serena quickly sat herself up, nudging Pancham gently out of the way. She winced as she tried putting her weight on her stiff legs, but she couldn't manage, immediately falling back. Letting out a gasp of pain, she reached back for her tailbone, feeling the soreness build from the point where she had landed back. Pancham ran to her side, nudging her leg and babbling up at her. Serena sat herself forward for a moment, catching her breath.

"Pi-ika!"

Looking up, squinting through the swirling dirt, Serena saw Pikachu running towards her, moving quickly on all four short legs over the scattered rubble. Within seconds, he had launched himself full speed into Serena's lap, rolling over and nestling himself against her stomach. He faced Serena with a satisfied smile, sparks of electric energy crackling over his belly.

Serena couldn't help but giggle. She ran her hand between his ears, rubbing his head lightly. By her side, she put an arm around Pancham, pulling them in and hugging close.

"Pikachu! Oh goodness, I was so worried about you!" said Serena.

After a moment of being held close, his tiny arm reaching up towards Serena and participating in the hug, Pikachu wormed his way out from underneath her arms, hopping out onto the brick street in front of her and getting up on his hind legs, looking up at Serena.

Pikachu pointed back, looking past the protruding rock shards and the swirling haze of dirt. He looked back to Serena with a worried look.

"Pikapi!"

Serena looked at Pikachu, then up at where Pikachu was pointing. Squinting, she could see just through a break in the cloud of dirt where the concrete bridge to the Pokemon Battle Center was.

Gasping, Serena looked back at Pikachu. "Ash!" she said.

Ignoring the stiffness in her legs, Serena grit her teeth and got up, her hands pushing off the ground and planting her feet on the ground. After taking a wobbling step, feeling the pain subside, Serena walked quickly, her steps picking up into sprint across the road, quickly navigating around the huge rocks Pancham's move had unearthed.

"Come on!" Serena waved, getting Pikachu and Pancham to follow.


	15. Chapter 15

On the concrete bridge, Ash was hurting. He lay in the middle of the bridge, a gentle indent in the smooth concrete surface surrounding him in the spot where he had landed. Loose debris and rubble covered his blue jacket, his arms wrapped over his torso, clutching at his injured frame. His hat had been knocked back just behind him, his black hair sticking up in bed-headed tufts. He looked up through squinting eyes, trying to keep his eyes open but unable to fight his exhaustion.

Quick footsteps clapped on the bridge, the sounds of someone coming up to Ash. He could barely lift his head to see who it was, but before he could a yellow blur suddenly launched at him. He gasped, feeling a soft, fluffy weight land in the middle of his chest. When he looked up, his face was filled with Pikachu's, looking into his worried black eyes. Ash smiled, looking relieved to see him.

Just a few feet short of Ash, Serena paused, smiling when she saw Pikachu and Ash reunited. Her face faltered when she saw how weak Ash looked, seeing the crater in the ground.

"Pikachu... You got away..." Ash breathed.

"Pika!" Pikachu beamed. Standing up on his hind legs, he pointed back towards Serena, bringing her to Ash's attention.

Ash grinned sleepily, even happier than he had been moments before. He reached an arm out towards Serena, his arm shaking with weakness. His other arm reached up towards Pikachu, scratching beneath his chin lightly.

"Serena... You helped...?"

At Ash's side, Serena dropped down to her knees, more closely looking him over. Every scratch and bruise on Ash's face could be seen, surrounding his sleepy expression. Her features grew worried, her lips pouting as she looked him over, eventually locking eyes with her.

"Ash... What happened? You don't look so good..." said Serena.

Serena's hands had folded together in her lap. Though she was focused on Ash's health, Ash reached his hand over, placing it over where her hands were together. When she looked down, suddenly realizing Ash's hands were on hers, she let out a tiny gasp. Her hands opened up, letting Ash's in, letting Ash's hand work it's way in and hold her hand.

"Ash...?"

Ash squeezed her hand. "Thank you... Serena... For everything. It means a lot to me..."

Serena could feel her cheeks glowing. She shook it off, closing her eyes and pushing on. "Ash, you really need some medical attention. I think there's a hospital at the far end of the-"

Ash shook his head gently. His free hand reached for the ground, helping ease himself up to a sitting position. Pikachu quickly got up, crawling down from where he had been sitting in the center of Ash's chest, watching out of worry as Ash struggled.

Seeing how visibly sore Ash was, Serena came alongside him, using the hand that he held to guide him up, placing her other hand on her back guiding him up until he sat upright. She reached back, grabbing the hat that had fallen back and handing it to him.

"I think I'll be fine," said Ash. Brushing his hair down, Ash fit the hat over his head, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Are you sure? It looks like you got really hurt back there," said Serena, sitting herself back and watching as Ash tried to get to his feet.

Planting his sneakers firmly on the ground, standing up on unsteady legs, Ash held his hands out by his side, doing his best to balance himself. After a moment, watching his legs beneath him, Ash eventually stood himself straight.

Serena stood up alongside him, smiling lightly, holding his shoulders when his posture seemed somewhat unsteady. After a moment, she let him go, easing her hands off of him. She took a few steps back, her hands held behind her, watching as Ash seemed close to the picture of health he was when she had seen him earlier.

"Well, we should probably get you to bed, then," said Serena, still looking worried for him.

Ash turned. He looked up with still sleepy eyes, smiling. "Didn't you want to go to the beach?"

Serena looked dumbstruck. "Beach...?"

"Ikapikapika!" cried Pikachu, leaping up and throwing a fist in the air.

* * *

Down at the shore, a wide expanse of sand reached down from the rocky cliffs of Costa Nova's mainland, stretching to the gentle evening tide of the sea. The white, smooth dunes had emptied of tourists, filled with only the occasional Krabby wandering through the sand and several Wingull clustered beneath the palm trees at the bottom of the cliffs.

Serena held herself to one of the palm trees, balancing herself on a single leg as she worked her boots off of her feet, knotting her socks and letting them fall in the sleeve of her boots. She left her boots stacked just around the corner from the concrete stairs, hiding them in some loose shrubs. She removed her red vest and her hat, leaving them with her boots.

The sand felt good between her toes, as Serena let her feet sink further and further into the loose sand. She looked up, having only walked out a few steps onto the beaches before looking back. She watched Ash, fumbling to roll the legs of his pants up while he held his sneakers. She giggled, watching him set his things down and then hurry to catch up with her.

Ash hopped ahead, running down a particularly tall dune, kicking up sand around his legs and sliding down through many of his steps. He nearly stumbled forward as the dune got particularly steep, leveling out just before he reached the pitted, footprint-covered beach.

Serena covered her mouth, giggling as Ash shouted with excitement. She felt the wind kick up and sway the ends of her pink dress, the cool evening wind brushing over her arms and legs. The salty air weaved through her hair.

Down beside her leg, Serena gasped in surprise, watching as Pikachu suddenly ran past her. Instead of climbing down the slope, he only went a little down before launching himself up over the steep dive, landing on a dune beside Ash and knocking up a ton of sand.

Holding her stomach, Serena couldn't help but laugh. She hunched over, feeling a tear come from her squeezed-shut eyes. She watched as Ash, annoyed with the sudden burst of sand, kicked sand back at Pikachu as they jogged down towards the water, moments before Pikachu unleashed a static shock and made Ash flash with energy.

Hearing Serena's uncontrollable laughter, Ash looked back, laughing as well. His feet had landed in the wet sand, only a few dozen feet away from the first waves. He quickly worked his t-shirt off, bundling it up and tossing it back towards the dry sand, before him and Pikachu sprinted towards the sea.

"Serena! Come on!"

Serena finally got her laughter under control, wiping away the tear from her eye. When she looked up, she saw Ash waving to her, beckoning her to come close, just as him and Pikachu ran towards an oncoming wave.

Taking a deep breath, Serena hopped down the dune, running down the steep slope and running towards the sea.


	16. Chapter 16

Down in the Cafe Luxe, again, Serena sipped on her cup of tea. She sighed deeply, looking over the spread on the table: a cup of Chamomile tea with a pot full of steaming water ready for her, a plate of fresh fruit and her favorite strawberry waffles. As she chewed on the end of her fork, her mouth watering as she thought of what to dive into first, she gave a passing look out to the outside, seeing that the sun had barely risen.

It was morning, and the sky was a pale blue. The palm trees swung gently in the cool, sweet-smelling breeze. Serena held her cup close, letting the flowery aroma wander up and serenade her senses as she enjoyed the outdoor scenery. More than anything, it was quiet, and Serena had the outdoor patio all to herself, sitting alone at her table. The inside of the Cafe Luxe had barely any customers that morning, and Serena was enjoying a bit of peace and quiet.

As Serena slid the plate of fresh fruit over towards her, making it front and center on her side of the table, she scooted away the plate of strawberry waffles, making room in front of her. She then slid the laptop over from the side of the table, opening the lid and propping it open in front of her.

A webpage had been opened. Serena could see that a lot of comments had been left on her blog, much to her surprise. She read the first one:

* * *

 **PerfectPhoenix asks:**

 **If you could pick any Pokemon known currently, what kind of team would you build and why?**

* * *

"Well well well, if it isn't Serena!"

Serena gasped. She covered her mouth, her cheeks bulging with a fresh chunk of cantaloupe. She recognized the voice, making her look up.

Standing beside her table, Miette grinned. Dressed in simple, summery clothes, she looked down at Serena with arrogant eyes. With a decorative red bag slung over her shoulders, she held a paper coffee cup in her other hand, looking as though she had been vacationing just like Serena had.

Serena finished chewing quickly, swallowing a big lump in her throat that wasn't cantaloupe. She set her fork down, quickly shutting the laptop, looking incredibly embarrassed.

"M-Miette! How'd you...?" asked Serena, totally shocked.

"What, find you here? Come on Serena, Costa Nova is a common stop along the main Kalos loop. It's the last stop before the finals in the Pokemon League! If you haven't picked that up from traveling with Ash, you should've picked up that it's a haven for off-season Pokemon Showcase participants."

"I... Um... I guess I just wasn't expecting to see you!" said Serena.''

"I'm surprised to see you alone," Miette smirked. "Mind if I join you?" she asked, coming around to the chair opposite Serena.

Though Serena's eyes told a different story, she nodded, gesturing towards the seat. "Um... Sure...! Be my guest...!"

Miette set her bag and coffee down, scooting the chair out. To Serena's chagrin, she sat herself closer to her, crossing her legs and sitting back, sipping her coffee quietly. She glanced over Serena's food, her eyes landing on the laptop, giving it a mischievous look. As she looked up to Serena, seeing the conflict and confusion all over her face, her attitude softened.

"You know, I've really missed seeing you around for Pokemon Showcases," said Miette.

"Yeah...?"

"Of course! You're always such a card. That, and seeing you and Ash get closer is such a treat," Miette said, cracking a sly grin, watching Serena from the corner of her eye as she inspected her manicure.

Serena's cheeks lit up, her eyes looking like they were steaming under the heat of her embarrassment. Her knuckles whited around the fork in her grip. Her cordial awkwardness turned to anger, and when she opened her mouth to say something, Miette talked over her.

"Did you drag Ash along with you for the week? You know, if he's free maybe I could see if he'd like to catch dinner. There's plenty of beaches to spend the day with him too, I'm sure he'd love if I modeled my new swimsuits for him."

" _Hey!_ " Serena protested.

Miette laughed. Looking over towards the street, her arm slung over the back of the chair, she took a long sip of her coffee, giggling to herself.

"Oh Serena," said Miette. "You're so much fun to toy with."

"What are you doing here Miette? Are you just going to toy with me all morning?" asked Serena, her tone indignant.

Miette looked back towards Serena, looking 'hurt'. She gasped. "What? I'm just trying to reconnect with my old friend Serena! A girl needs friends, you know."

Serena folded her arms, looking away. "Yeah, I bet you wonder why you don't have any."

Miette blinked, seeming taken aback. "Serena, that almost sounded mean for a moment. No wonder you have Ash under your thumb."

When Miette went to crack a coy smile, she stopped, pausing completely. The look Serena gave her could've been read as a death threat. She took a deep breath, taking another sip of her coffee, looking somewhat demure as she toned herself down.

"Seriously, is that all you want in being here?" asked Serena, still angry. "You just want to keep tormenting me, huh?"

"Well, I was wondering if you were going to answer my question," said Miette, looking up to her with a wondering expression.

Serena blinked. She looked up at Miette, deeply confused. Seeing that Miette was looking at something, she followed the invisible direction of her eyes and landed on the closed laptop. She gasped. Sitting herself back, she turned herself towards Miette, looking over the typically arrogant smile she wore and seeing something new there.

Miette's gaze was piercing, and her smile grew when she realized she had surprised Serena.

"What... What do you mean...?" Serena asked quietly.

"I asked you a question! On your new blog!"

Giving her another confused look, Serena opened the laptop, looking at the screen again. She scrolled down the lengthy list of questions, reading the names individually.

"But... None of these have your name...?"

Miette rubbed her eye. "Serena, you don't use your real name on the internet. Really, you think it's any mystery that I found you so easily?"

Serena gave Miette a nasty look from the side, continuing to read through the list. "Well, then which question did you ask?"

"The first one," smirked Miette. "My name is 'PerfectPhoenix'."


	17. Chapter 17

"That's... That's absurd!" Serena stammered, frowning as she scrolled up and down the comments section, reading through all the different comments and their users. Her eyes kept returning to the first one in the list.

"Why is it absurd, Serena?" Miette, her question sounding subtle and probing at the same time. Her gaze wandered around the cafe, looking as bored as she usually did.

"Because... I mean, 'PerfectPhoenix'? Why that name? 'PerfectPhoenix' sounds like someone else!" protested Serena.

Miette sipped her coffee, rolling her eyes. "It sounds cool. Next question."

Blinking, Serena opened her mouth to ask her next question. She came up short, looking more confused than she had earlier. She shook her head gently, clearing her head.

"Okay, well... Why this question? I mean, you only know me from Pokemon Showcases..." said Serena. "Why... Why not ask something about my Pokemon Showcase arrangement? Why not ask something related to Showcases in general? I just don't understand... I didn't think you someone who would care about Pokemon battles."

Miette sighed, looking annoyed. She shook her head. "Serena, the point of questions is to learn something about you that I didn't previously know. Obviously, we're going to talk about Showcases when we see each other, however infrequently that may be. I've never asked you about Pokemon battles! I just wanted to know your take on it. Besides, maybe I want to make a Pokemon team, who knows? Maybe this is research for me," she said. "Your Pokemon Showcase setup is always too predictable, too simple."

"Oh really? If what I do is so predictable, how come you can't seem to perform better than me?"

"Hey now, I do plenty fine without any of your silly tricks or moves," Miette said, her shoulders tensing up and her hands balling up into fists, a look of anger present on her face. "I am... Creative...!"

Serena just smiled. She took another bite of fruit from her plate, then sipped her tea, watching Miette stew.

"And... Furthermore..." Miette continued, her voice audibly shaking. "What do you have any business questioning my questions? You said 'ask me anything', so I'm going to ask you stuff! Jeez!"

Taking the napkin from her lap, Serena gently wiped her lips, swallowing. She looked up to Miette, smiling lightly. "Oh _Miette_... 'You're too much fun to toy with'!" she said, imitating Miette's voice at a higher pitch.

"I don't have to take this," said Miette, fuming, taking her coffee and getting up. She eased her chair back into the table, hastily picking up her bag from the floor and slinging it over her shoulder. She lowered her sunglasses over eyes as she walked around the table, stepping into the burgeoning rays of morning sunlight.

Serena scooted away the empty plate that she had cleaned of the fruit, scooting close to her the untouched plate of waffles. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Miette stood close to the table, looking out into the street as she thought about where she was going next. As Serena picked up her knife, sticking the fork in the corner of the waffle, digging into the crisp, golden surface with the knife, scooping on whipped cream and strawberries onto the first bite, she saw Miette come close, leaning over her.

"Come on Serena, just answer my question! It's not a hard one," said Miette. "If you do, I'll let you know which of your friends are which commenters."

Serena paused, about to take the first bite. She thought about it, feeling Miette linger over her shoulder. Looking up, she could see that Miette's smile was genuine, and that she meant it. The put-on, antagonizing look that Serena had disappeared involuntarily, replaced with genuine curiosity.

"Really...?" asked Serena.

"Of course!" said Miette, patting her shoulder. "And make sure your answer is well-researched and well thought-out! If you need me, I'll be having a chat with Ash."

With the fork raised, the first bite of the waffle still on her fork, Serena froze up. Her heart thumped suddenly, her cheeks glowing from within with embarrassment. Her fingers curled, squeezing her fork, just enough to make it bend a bit. When she looked back, Miette was crossing the street, heading off into the streets of Costa Nova.

Serena put the fork in her mouth, eating the waffle. As she chewed, her worries melted away silently.


	18. Chapter 18

The brick edifice of the library stood on a lower level of the elevated island mass, facing the sea in a grassy clearing. The old clay roof and tall windows captured the rustic charm of some of the island's older buildings.

In the upper floor of the library, in the warmly lit alcoves near the back of the many rows of books, several study desks sat shoulder to shoulder with others. The library was silent, largely empty, save for the sounds of distant flipping pages and the muffled sounds of the sea. Alone, Serena sat at one of the desks, facing the lit desk area, hunched over a large tome.

She flipped through dusty pages, reading over thin, fading lines of text and examining old, archaic diagrams of various Pokemon species. The smell of dust and decay came out of every page, with floaty motes of dust catching in the desk light from beneath the shelf. Several books had been set to the side, with old fraying titles like 'The Young Person's Guide to Pokemon Selection' and 'Joules' Introductory Heuristics and Methods of Selection for the Creatures of the Known World', all with various colorful tabs stuck between the pages and hanging out the side, all the same color as a pad beside Serena's wrist.

Rubbing the sleep from her eye, trying to blink away the dust of old, unused books, Serena looked to the opposite corner of the desk. Her laptop sat, the lid closed, the light in the bottom pulsing gently.

* * *

 _This is a tough question, and I'm only making it harder on myself._

 _If I had been asked if how I feel about certain kinds of Pokemon, or to choose from the Pokemon I have, or to choose from the Pokemon that Ash has, I would've spent maybe ten minutes on the question. I would've been grateful for a question like 'what's your favorite Pokemon?' or something else._

 _But... I can't decide._

 _There's... Too many Pokemon out there. I'm serious! They discover more every year. I love Pokemon because I'm always learning something about them. They always have such surprising traits and they can do things I could never imagine. I would honestly feel guilty to choose, because maybe I'm closing myself off to some Pokemon that could easily become my new favorite._

* * *

Serena groaned. Sitting, hunched over her laptop, she ran her hands up through her hair, shaking her head in annoyance. She forced an eye open, looking down between her fingers, forcing herself to reread what she had written.

"Oh, Miette..." Serena scowled.

* * *

 _At the same time, I really love the Pokemon I've had the chance to meet. I'm grateful! There's... Always something new to discover in them too._

 _So, what would make my ultimate team?_

 _My first Pokemon will always be Braixen. We've been through a lot and we all trust one another. I think it's important to have a partner that you know and love, someone who you have the best interests in mind for. Braixen is strong, dynamic and creative._

 _I like a sense of balance—everyone does. There are Pokemon 'setups' like Fire, Water, and Grass, but sometimes you have to get inventive with the other balancing pairs and trios. If Braixen is my starter, a Fire type, then I want some counterbalance. I want Steel! I want Water, and maybe Flying._

 _But, that's not all that makes a team._

 _Sure, there are really important criteria like 'balance', moves themselves, having items, an actual strategy. Some of the things like 'attack' vs 'defense', things that Ash talks about, they all get pretty complicated._

 _All of those things are nice. Again, they don't necessarily make a team on their own._

 _Of course, we're forgetting one key criteria: color coordination!_

* * *

Serena sat back from the laptop, rereading her last thought. It brought a smile to her face.

"Now we're onto something...'


	19. Chapter 19

Stacked on the outskirts of the island's more rural locations, where the roads curved to fit the raised and short plateaus of the island and offered scenic vistas of the sea, a coastal cottage stood at the corner, covered in vines and fringe moss. Old, wrought-iron signs hung from the exposed brick and the curvy, puffy-looking stone walls. Tall and thin windows made of soupy-looking, old glass reflected the green and blue of their tropical environments.

Miette watched, quietly, as Slurpuff sat on the elevated brick walls of the grassy terrace leading up to the cottage, holding a daisy in her hands. She watched intently as Slurpuff's swollen fingers reached down and worked their way between the petals of the flower, trying to pluck them one at a time. With each petal flicked away, fluttering towards the ground, Slurpuff attempted to mutter the next line of a nursery rhyme, making out the best she could in Pokemon-ish. Each time Slurpuff failed to pull out a single petal, or pulled out three or four of them at the same time, or forcibly tried to throw the petals down instead of flicking them away, Miette did her best to hold in her laughter.

"No no no," said Miette, listening to Slurpuff struggle through the next part of the nursery rhyme. "It's- ' _Go ahead, wipe those tears away; keep your chin up for another day_ '," she sang, lightly.

"Slurrrpufff..." said Slurpuff, her eyes sinking quietly.

Down the curving, twisted road, Serena's boots clapped like horse hooves as she ran. Her red vest fluttered behind her, her hand forcing her hat down over her head as she felt it nearly fly off several times. Clutched in her hand, her bag bounced behind her, the contents swinging and jangling noisily.

As she sat on the edge of the brick wall, looking up from the shine of her shoes, Miette saw Serena coming down the road. A thin smile came to her as she got to her feet. She looked back, folding her arms, seeing Slurpuff slumping over like a dessert in the sun, clutching the empty, petal-less daisy in her fat paw.

"I was wondering how long it'd be after you posted your last blog post," said Miette, kicking at the crumbling rock between the cobblestone roads. Rocking her shoe up on it's heel, looking past her folded arms, she continued to inspect the shine of her shoes, looking at light scratches and general imperfections with the candy-shell surface.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to keep you waiting," said Serena, taking a few hearty breaths as she slowed to a stop just short of Miette. She ran a hand over her stomach, smoothing her dress, feeling her chest undulate with evenly-paced breathing. Touching just beneath the collar of her neck, just where the blue tie was, she felt her heart thumping steadily.

Unamused, Miette turned, reaching beside the endcap of the brick wall and picking up the resting Pokeball. She pointed to Slurpuff, clicking the button and zapping her back into the Pokeball. The daisy that had been in her hand fluttered away lightly in the breeze.

"So... What did you think of the post? Did you like my answer?" asked Serena, giving a wide and happy smile, looking up to Miette.

Miette turned back, looking Serena over. "It was... Alright."

"'Alright'?"

A few short stair steps lead down to a door, leading to a small basement area beneath the cottage. An old lamp glowed beside the old, wood-braced and iron-studded door, looking like the door to a medieval castle. A sign hung above the door read something in old Kalosian that Serena couldn't quite translate, instead referring to the embossed symbol of an ice cream sundae.

Miette passed down into the shade-filled area, eventually coming to stand in the landing before the door to the place, standing in the alcove just to the side outside the windows. She looked up, watching Serena walk down the middle of the steps, mindful of the vine-covered walls on either side of her.

"I mean, it was a little... You know..." Miette shrugged. "It seemed to have a lot of nice ideas, it just seemed kinda... I don't know... Silly?"

"S-Silly...?" Serena asked incredulously, a blush forming.

Sighing, Miette opened up the door, holding it for Serena. Serena stepped into the shop, walking into a small side area with a gumball machine and a newspaper stand. The smell of candy hit her immediately, smelling like light and sugary sweets, combined with the chilly sensation of an active, large freezer. Looking back, she saw Miette walking close behind, having pulled out a blue version of Serena's folding Pokedex.

Before Serena could say anything, Miette, cleared her throat audibly, pausing for a moment as her eyes wandered over the tall screen of her Pokedex, reading. She put on a light smile, her eyes fluttering closed as she poised herself like an actress about to recite her lines.

"'Should I then, perhaps, choose my team based on the moods that I feel throughout each and everyday'?" read Miette, her tone and pitch changing to mock Serena's 'dreaminess', making her sound delusional. "Perhaps now as I travel day-to-day and only wear a certain set of clothes, a certain colorful and tonal 'mood', should I expect that when I am home and in the comfort of a diversity of clothing options, that I will pair my Pokemon with my clothing choices for the day?"

"I... Um..." Serena swallowed, waving away the thought and giggling nervously. "Okay, maybe I got a little flowery with that paragraph... How are you reading that from your Pokedex? Don't you need like a-"

" _And how_! Such a diversity of choices can confound and vex even the most _careful_ and _considerate_ of the fashionable," said Miette. Her grin had grown to unsettling, Cheshire-like proportions, watching as Serena melted with embarrassment before her eyes. "Thus, to unleash the ironic creative freedoms of limitations, I must impose the criteria of my character, as such the answer to this question most properly and effectively, _vanquishing_ this intellectual beast of a question. I must effectively decide what it is that is lacking in my character, finding ways to partner effectively and make myself whole—through the means of Pokemon, of course."

"Okay, I think I get it..." Serena laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"Pokemon... To _end_ the dregs of my moral shortcomings..." said Miette, seeming out of breath from speedily reading through the last 'stanza' of Serena's blog. Her head tipped back, her hand falling gently over her brow as she gave a dramatic, performed sigh. Her whole body flopped back gently, her arms falling to her side, her whole body slouching back in practiced exhaustion. "Such thoughts torture the soul... Such inevitable doubts of character... Should I wonder if this moral quandary, this desire to answer the questions of my very soul by choosing a new set of Pokemon... Is it a thought that seeks to destroy the very forces of nature that harmonize my current comforts and extremities in life? Is it a thought that seeks to continually tear apart what is good and natural for me...?"

"Miette... I didn't write that..."

Miette twirled on the tip of her toe, her leg kicking her off and spinning like a ballerina. She took dramatic steps one over the other, slouching down onto the floor, dropping to her knees, her hand falling out in front of her as she hung her head, then looked up to Serena in dramatic pleading.

"May I never experience such intellectual dregs again! Oh, the woe of what I have inflicted upon me," sighed Miette. "May I be condemned to the questions of others for the rest of my pitiful existence!"

"I kinda liked it."

Both Miette and Serena turned, looking into the main area of the shop, just around the short wall of the entrance, looking to the source of the new voice.

A long, silvery table stretched down through the center of the shop, lined with simple vinyl stools. Overhead, lights glowed, hanging from the curved spackled ceilings. Simple memorabilia and decorations lined the walls. The pulsing, watery inlays of a jukebox glowed with secondary colors, complimenting the low, grooving oldie music.

Serena backpedaled lightly, walking away from the strange scene with Miette. Looking directly across from her, on the other side of the long table, Shauna was sitting at a stool, beaming.

"Hi Serena!" said Shauna.

Serena gasped, brightening up from her embarrassed outlook moments earlier. She blinked several times, unable to believe they were even in the same room. Watching as Shauna hopped off her stool, hurrying around the length of the table, Serena hurried into the main area of the shop, meeting with Shauna moments later, pulling her into a tight hug. Even though Shauna was smaller than Serena, her hug nearly squeezed life out of her, right after immediately squeezing all the breath out of her.

"Jeez Serena! It's been way too long!" said Shauna, giggling lightly.

Serena lost herself in the moment, beaming with a smile that reached ear to ear. After a moment, her squeezed shut eyes popped open, suddenly realizing something.

"Shauna... What are you...?" Serena turned, looking back at Miette, who stood just outside the entering alcove. "Is Shauna one of the people you were talking about? People who had asked questions on my blog that you were going to introduce me to?"

Miette nodded quietly. She smiled coyly, walking with her hands held behind her back, giving Shauna a knowing look.

"Oh gosh... Is everyone in on this?" asked Serena. She quickly set her bag up on the vinyl stools, opening the top of the bag and pulling her laptop out. She set it on the counter, opening the lid, waking the machine.

Shauna giggled, coming alongside Serena. As Serena opened up her blog, flipping through comments, she looked to Shauna.

"Which one did you...?" Serena began to ask. She was cut off, as Shauna suddenly pointed at the screen.

* * *

 **Aquamimi123 asks:**

 **Serena, have you tell ash that you love him?**

* * *

" _Aaahh-!_ "

"Yep! That's me!" said Shauna, looking proud of herself, hands on her hips and a confident look on her. "Aquamimi123!"


	20. Chapter 20

Down in the shop beneath the cottage, Serena sat at the long table on one of the many vinyl stools, leaning over the table, listening as Shauna chatted happily about her adventures. Shauna was making a scene, physically building it as she waved her hands and made all sorts of crazy gestures and faces, delving into details about adventures she had been on. As Serena giggled, listening to Shauna's rant, Miette was looking less amused, watching with bored eyes. Every so often, she cracked a coy smile, and eventually she joined in with Serena on the cacophonous giggling.

One of the ladies in the shop came along, interrupting the conversation, bringing a round of three tall milkshakes on a silver platter. Once the drinks had been set, straws administered, red cherries plucked from the whipped cream tops, the conversation soon picked up again.

But without any words.

The conversation was muffled, trapped beneath a pane of glass as it was observed from the outside.

Across from the cottage, a few brick buildings lined the ridge with their backs to the sea and their storefronts facing the road. Just beside it, a tall, lone tree stood on the grassy ridge above the sea with three sets of binoculars sticking out of the tufty green leaves, all pointed at the window of the shop beneath the cottage, watching as Serena conversed with the two others.

"This blog is causing quite a stir, at least among the bratty bunch," Jessie seethed, her lower lip quivering with resentment. She lounged on the lowest branch, her boots kicked up behind her.

"It's certainly given the she-twerp a chance to break away from the rest of them," said James, sitting on a branch just above Jesse.

"Where's Pikachu?" said Meowth, on the tallest branch.

"This isn't about Pikachu now, Meowth," said James. "Not everything has to do with Pikachu."

" _What?_ Everything has to do's with Pikachu!" said Meowth, annoyed. He lowered his binoculars, looking down at Jesse and James, where they lounged on branches beneath. "If we's aren't looking after Pikachu, we might miss a chance to _gets_ him! That's the whole reason we's are out here in foist place!"

"Will you shut up about Pikachu, you clod?" Jessie snapped, looking up at Meowth. "We need to focus on bigger issues, like all this internet fame that twerpette is getting. That's all attention that could be going towards _me_."

"Well, why don't yous just starts a blog then and starts writing about yous 'feelings', _maybe while we're chasing Pikachu_!"

"A blog? Don't be so blase, Meowth. Blogs were unpopular as soon as twerpette got one," said Jessie. "I intend to be the best commenter on her blog, asking only the best questions and delving deep into her psyche. I intend to steal the show right from under miss 'Ask Serena's' feet by exposing her for what a truly, agonizingly boring person she is, and by showing what an intelligent, witty soul I am."

"Jessie has already bombarded twerpette with a firestorm of scintillating questions," said James. "The character assassination has begun!"

Jessie seemed to be in another world with her eyes shut and a dreamy, wicked smile spread across her face.

"She's such a fool to think this won't be her undoing," Jessie laughed, in the midst of her reverie. "I will ensure that every last question that I ask her, no matter how subtle and how seemingly innocent, will be just one more device used to bring her to complete and utter destruction!"

"Well, then lets take us a look at these questionses here, and-" Meowth was cut off. James had handed up an open, old, beaten laptop to him, which Meowth quickly picked up and set on his branch in front of him. His wide, oval eyes narrowed on the glowing text, when he spotted the question.

* * *

 **ringsandamiss007 asks:**

 **Why did you dress up as Ash and why were you smelling his scent on his clothes?**

* * *

"'ringsandamiss007'? What kind of names's that?"


	21. Chapter 21

"My goodness Serena, it certainly seems that you've bitten off more than you can chew this time," said Miette, giggling.

Serena frowned, working the tall straw pinched between her fingers through the creamy contents of her milkshake, mixing up clumps of ice cream before she finally put the straw between her lips. She sipped silently, ignoring Miette, letting the bright, savory flavors of salted caramel hit her.

On the other side of the table, Shauna looked on, looking between Miette and Serena as their silent exchange went on, smiling awkwardly. With her arms folded and resting against the metal surface of the table, she looked at her own strawberry milkshake, the tall sculpted glass standing tall and frosty, half drained of it's delicious creamy contents. She listened to the gentle, grooving music in the background, letting her leg bounce in time to the music beneath the table.

Miette was enjoying herself too much, quickly working down a cookies and cream through a wide straw, sipping happily. She set the empty glass back on the counter, looking across at Serena, grinning ear to ear.

"Well, _I'm_ looking forward to seeing you again, I think I've given you enough trouble for today."

"Did you really not like my answer?" Serena finally spoke up, breaking her awkward, enforced silence. She looked up at Miette, watching as she got off of her stool.

Miette paused for a moment, seemingly taken aback by the thought. She stopped, finishing slinging her bag over her shoulder, thinking to herself.

"Serena, you listed _eight_ possible teams based on coordinating with your outfit. I happen to know you a little better than you think I do. It just seemed disingenuous. I felt like if you were honest, you would have a much more interesting and succinct answer, not hiding behind walls of... Weird, dubious ideas."

The answer cemented Serena to her stool. She stopped completely, looking up at Miette and meeting eyes with her.

Miette's expression eventually faltered. The annoyed, critical look slowly faded, replaced with a more somber, disappointed one. Eventually she found herself looking past Serena instead of at her, having to look back up at Serena purposely. Her awkward posture, caught between staying and leaving, eventually changed to leave. She adjusted her bag over her shoulder, her feet planting more evenly on the ground as she walked.

"I'll see you around," Miette said quickly, leaving.

Lifting her straw from the soupy remains of her milkshakes, Serena scowled, trying to do anything to distract herself from Miette's footsteps and the eventual closing of the door in the background. The old red stem of her cherry hung on the clumpy end, and Serena picked it out, flicking it across the shop. Her head rested in her hands as she looked at the milkshake in annoyance, stirring quickly with her straw.

"That Miette can be so fickle," she sighed.

"Serena, is something wrong?"

Serena looked up from the table, looking at Shauna. The frown plastered on her faltered, the stirring straw in her hand slowing to a complete stop. She took a breath and sat herself up.

"It's just... Miette can be such a pain," said Serena. "She's so... Demanding. She just loves to torment me, and it's just... Aggravating!"

Shauna gave knowing nod, smiling reassuringly. "I totally get that," she said.

"Shauna, you seem to be 'in' on this, at least a little bit... What's the point? Is Miette just out to humiliate me? Am I just some plaything for her?"

Shauna's smile turned awkward. "Well, if I had to guess, Miette is trying to teach you something, or at least she things she is."

Shaking her head, Serena scooted her milkshake to the side. She tabbed at the ring of moisture on the table with her napkin. "And what a help she's been," she sighed.

The stool creaked as Shauna shifted uncomfortably. Her green eyes looked ahead and bore into the wall with a thoughtful stare. Her lips twisted up into a frown.

"Well... She's kinda right, you know..."

Serena blinked. She looked over at Shauna incredulously, meeting with her blank stare.

"What do you mean...?" asked Serena.

"Well," said Shauna, "Miette seems to think you're not exactly 'ready' for what comes after starting a blog, especially—well, you know—what with the format that you have. Every little thing about you is under your own microscope."

"Well, yeah, but so what?"

"So people are going to poke and prod, like you're their—"

"Like their plaything," Serena finished. It took her a moment to process what she was saying. She swallowed audibly. She was looking down, visibly dejected. The stool she sat on swung gently beneath her without a thought.

Seeing Serena's dejection made Shauna lurch, looking conflicted and visibly searching for an answer or some method of cheering her up.

"And... I mean... That's just one way of looking at it, you know?" said Shauna, searching for some sort of response in Serena's eyes.

"I don't know know Shauna..." said Serena. "Maybe I don't know what I've gotten myself into."

"Serena, I think Miette thinks very highly of you."

"That's not funny."

"I'm serious!" Shauna protested. "I don't think Miette's the kind of person who would even bother to visit if she didn't respect or even care about you."

Serena paused quietly, looking more reflective than unsettled.

"And honestly," said Shauna, a bit more eagerness in her voice as she found a place to start with Serena, "I think Miette challenges you to bring out the best in you—in the both of you! I'm dead serious!"

"I don't think she's exactly showing affection," scowled Serena. She folded her arms beneath her, remaining hunched over and looking away.

"Serena, don't be that way."

"Well, I'm sorry, but Miette hasn't been making a convincing case for herself lately."

Looking around the empty shop as Serena sighed again, Shauna seemed to be mentally debating with herself. Cursing beneath her breath, shuffling again, Shauna found her words. She returned her attention to Serena, a look of resolve appearing.

"Wanna test it?" asked Shauna.

"Huh? What do you mean? How?"

Shauna grinned, coyly. "Well, you can start by answering my question."

Serena looked over. "What question did you—Oh no..." Serena said, visibly wilting. Any semblance of hope she had slowly faded as she slumped forward, her head hanging down.


	22. Chapter 22

"C'mon Serena, it's just a question," said Shauna, her tone joking and making light of the situation. She rolled her eyes, resting her head in her hand and looking as innocent as possible. "At this rate I'm starting to think every question is gonna be impossible for you."

Serena had slumped over the table, her head face down in her folded arms. She groaned, her sounds muffled by her arms, not wanting to face Shauna for fear of embarrassment.

"Give me at least a little credit," said Shauna. Though she smiled, her brow had tensed up above a pair of worried eyes. "At least I didn't ask you _in front_ of Ash."

Serena visibly cringed. She made a light whimpering sound, her face steaming. Her fingers cringed and arched uncomfortably, her unpainted nails clawing at the streaked, scratchy aluminum surface of the table.

Shauna should've laughed, but she swallowed the feeling, staying with Serena.

Reaching out, Shauna's hand brushed against Serena's. Serena's reaction was instant, making Shauna's eyes go wide with fear. Serena bared her teeth, making a sound of surprise, her back straightening as she bolted upright. When a shocked Serena looked down, her eyes met with a sheepish Shauna who was thinking twice. She held her resolve, waiting for Serena to calm down.

"Come on Serena, let's just talk about it. There's no judgement, there's no wrong answers, let's just talk about the question."

"But... Just... There's nothing to talk about!" Serena protested.

Shauna pursed her lips. A look of annoyance came to her as she looked Serena over, listening to her words as her face told a different story. She gave a look like Serena was full of it, but shook it off, pressing on.

"C'mon," said Shauna. "Let's just walk through your next blog post."

* * *

 _Okay, let's start simple then: how do I feel about Ash?_

 _Oof... I've already complicated it._

 _Wait a minute! Yes! I've got it. Let's start here before we actually overcomplicate things: the question was whether or not I've told Ash about my feelings. Technically, I tell him how I feel about lots of things every single day we're together. I tell him how I feel about, you know, things like how the weather is, what I think we should have for lunch, where our next destination should be—all sorts of natural things that I naturally have feelings about!_

 _See? That wasn't so hard, was it? Yes, I have told Ash about my feelings!_

 _And whether or not they were any sort of feelings of 'love'... Well... I mean, as I said, I tell Ash lots of things on a daily basis! Maybe I did or didn't tell him I love him, who knows? Maybe I said it in one conversation but completely forgot. Who knows? We'll never know. Besides, who would expect me to remember something like that anyway?_

* * *

As Serena finished typing out the last few words on the keyboard, a satisfied smile came to her. She wore her smile with confidence, like she had defeated the question.

As she closed the laptop lid, Serena felt a presence by her side. She gasped in surprise, leaping a bit in her stool as Shauna stood just beside her, looking at Serena with knowing eyes. It took Serena a moment to read how annoyed Shauna was, and that her own innocent look wasn't helping.

"H-Hi Shauna... Where'd you come from? Where did... Where did you even go...?"

"Oh, me? Nowhere. Just paying for our milkshakes."

Serena swallowed, her face paling with shame. She looked weak, almost ill, her posture slumping over and her arms hanging by her side. She let out a quiet groan, knowing she had blown it.

"You know I wanted to pay for those... My treat for not seeing you all in so long..." said Serena, avoiding Shauna's piercing gaze, looking up at her once from the side.

" _Serena_ , I thought you said you were going to be honest," said Shauna, curtly, her hands on her hips. She puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

Blinking, suddenly looking confused, Serena looked up at Shauna with a mild, timid expression.

"I... I was being honest...!"

Though Serena was listening for a response from Shauna, she was met with silence. The look that Shauna told her everything she needed to know.

"Serena, you don't honestly believe that, do you? That you wouldn't remember something like that if you had said it before?"

"I... Okay..." Serena said, looking away. She rubbed at her arm, her head tipping on it's side as her expression soured. "I... I don't believe that..."

Shauna nodded knowingly, keeping her gaze locked on Serena. She propped her arm against the table, making it harder for Serena to turn and look away. Chewing her lip, her look growing more and more impatient, she tapped her foot on the floor steadily as she waited. Her head craned around, trying to get a glimpse of Serena's expression.

When she had waited long enough, realizing Serena was just hiding, Shauna took Serena by the shoulder, making her stool spin to face her. As Serena let out a protesting yell, Shauna's hand quickly snapped to her other shoulder, stopping any struggling and making Serena face her. When Serena looked away involuntarily, her head turning and reaching away, Shauna reached up and grabbed her by the jaw, cranking her head around and making the two of them see eye-to-eye, Serena's lips looking squished together and fish-like in her grip.

" _Serena_ , answer the question."

* * *

 _Maybe I'm over-simplifying. Maybe I need to look at this from the perspective of nature._

* * *

Shauna slammed the lid of the laptop down.

" _Serena_!"

Serena had barely gotten her fingers out of the closing lid in time. Her head whipped up to Shauna, looking totally shocked at the sudden slamming of the lid, right before she was even more shocked by how angry Shauna looked. As she tried to scoot back from Shauna, watching her overbear from beside her, she felt a sudden pinch on her ear as Shauna grabbed it by the lobe, tugging and pulling Serena over.

For fear of harm or even mild stretching to her earlobe, Serena got to her feet quickly when Shauna pulled her around, making Serena nearly fall off of her stool and stumble forward, staying as close to Shauna as her tormenting friend's arm would let her. It took only a few steps before Serena tripped one foot over the other, stumbling forward and launching herself down onto the tile floors. She braced her arm as she fell, landing on her side and rolling onto her back. Groaning with pain, she lifted her arm up in front of her, seeing that the heel of her hand had split, now oozing with a gentle trickle of blood.

As Serena's gaze lingered on the thin beads of blood on her hand, watching as they pooled and grew larger, she looked up in disbelief to Shauna, moments before she let out a loud gasp of shock, her eyes widening as she looked up.

Shauna pounced on Serena. She dropped to her knees, falling with a dull thud on the tile as she landed over Serena's hips. She pinned Serena, her hands grasping at her face and making Serena's dazed eyes look up at hers.

"' _Yes' or 'no'?!_ " Shauna yelled.

"W-What...?"

"' _Yes' or 'no'?_ Have you told Ash you love him?"

"N-No...!"

Shauna made sure Serena was looking her directly in the eye, and she was. Her stern look tested her, silently grilling her for any falsehood or any trace of deceit. After a long moment, the stern look she wore faltered, wearing off as she took a deep breath, breathing in and out as her lungs caught up with her sudden burst of activity. She seemed to come back to reality.

She had looked away for only a moment, but when she looked back, Serena was still looking up at Shauna. The confused look in Serena's eyes had completely disappeared. Something looked dead in her eyes, her whole body seeming to waver as she supported herself. Moments later, her face looking choked up with emotion, a few tears blinked themselves out of Serena's eyes, running down her cheeks.

As Shauna looked over her in desperation, trying to figure out what could've gone wrong, she looked down at Serena's hand. The blood from the cut on her hand had run down her arm, dribbling on the floor, soaked into the lines of her hand and staining deep.

"Oh... Oh gosh Serena... Let me go get a towel..."


	23. Chapter 23

Serena had propped her back against a shelf, filled with various candies in jars, wrapped in bags or inside colorful boxes. She gave a sad, tired look, looking past where her arm was being tended to.

Down just in front of her, Shauna worked with an open first aid kit, scraps and shreds from used bandages littering the floor. She gave a look up to where the skin-tone bandage had been neatly fixed to Serena's hand, effectively stopping the bleeding, thinking of where to go next with the gauze in her hand as she worked the cottony folds of the end off of the main spool.

Shauna silently gestured to Serena, getting her to set the hand into her lap. As she did, she held the gauze down in the apex of her palm, carefully unraveling the spool around her hand and wrapping the cloth to Serena's skin.

"I'm... I'm sorry..." said Serena, quietly.

Shauna looked up in disbelief, briefly, just before she resumed carefully watching the gauze on Serena's hand. She continued to wrap, applying pressure.

"Serena, you have no need to apologize to me! Really! Everything is my fault right now. _I'm_ sorry, Serena. I misbehaved."

"No... I'm sorry I didn't answer your question in the first place..."

Shauna made a face, seeming confused but slightly amused. "Serena, that's crazy talk. I didn't get your head too, did I?'

"I'm..." Serena choked out gently. "I'm not sure exactly how I feel about Ash... I don't know how to explain how I feel, and what I do know I don't know what to do with... I'm... I'm so confused..."

Shauna opened her mouth to make another quick remark, but she stopped herself short. She felt a beat in Serena's words, a second point that she was struggling to get out. She raised her head, looking back up at Serena, waiting for it.

"I... I guess I've never known what being in love is like... And I don't know if I've felt like I'm in love..." Serena finished.

* * *

 _Maybe that's why I'm having such a hard time with this question. Maybe that's why I'm struggling with all these questions._

 _Maybe I don't want to be honest with myself. Maybe I don't want to confront that side of me, let alone any side._

 _I'm... young, to say the least. I've been traveling on my own for so long, I've been taking care of myself, but I have to remember that I'm still very young. There are a lot of things I haven't experienced before, and that's probably perfectly normal. Sometimes, I have to remember that a lot of the things I worry about are things a girl my age shouldn't be thinking about, and I worry about a lot anyway._

 _I think my biggest struggle right now is that an area like... 'love'... is something I just don't have a lot to say about._

 _In fact, I have embarrassingly little to say about this subject. I'm fourteen, right now, and most girls my age were just thinking about a lot of the things I wonder about now when they were... Younger. I mean, I don't know a lot of twelve year-old girls who are finding steady boyfriends—that's for girls like Miette who are in the middle of being fifteen—and that's not the stage I'm at right now. I'm at the stage where you have a crush on someone, where you're just finding out how your heart flutters or how to even talk to a boy like... that. I'm just starting to wonder about all that, like now, not when I was younger._

 _I have a crush on Ash... I do._

 _The worst thing of all, the most embarrassing part of all with 'just starting to wonder', is that I know myself enough to know that I don't just decide with these things immediately. I will probably be in the 'wondering' phase of my life for a long time._

 _The truth is that I don't know what to do, and I'm going to probably let an important opportunity slip away from me because of it._


	24. Chapter 24

Wincing, Serena pulled her injured hand away from the keyboard, shaking off the tingling sensation in her fingers. She scowled, pulling her hand close to her, her fingers running over the tightly bound gauze as she inspected it. The fingers on her injured hand flexed tightly, still remaining as flexible as she had been before when her hand was healthy, though she could feel a slight ache.

As set her fingers back on the keys, her thumb ran over the trackpad, scrolling up through what she had just written. Her eyes raced over the last thoughts in her journal. As she considered it in the silence, she slowly lowered her laptop's lid, shutting it.

An incredible sunset was waiting for Serena. As she looked up, looking away from the closed laptop, Serena looked out over the horizon from where she sat outside, resting with her back to the oak tree she was beneath. Her hair batted around her face as the air from the sea reached her, the salty smell of crashing waves miles away. The roaring waves crashed on the beach, the waters turning into a deep black shade in the dimming light of the day. Streaks of red and orange painted the sea, as bright as the glowing orange sky that it reflected. The fiery center of the sun lowered down through the halos of clouds to touch the sea, slowly sinking in.

As Serena got up, tucking her laptop in her bag as she pulled it up with her, she looked up across the street. Shauna was running across the street towards her, keeping her head down as she ran.

Before Serena could say anything or even look surprised, Shauna collided with Serena, burying her head in her shoulders and wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. Serena didn't have to say anything, she could hear Shauna's hysterical tears, feeling her body shudder as she wept. Confused but deeply worried for her friend, Serena slowly put her own arms around Shauna's back, completing the hug.

"Oh my gosh Serena... I'm so sorry...! I... I didn't mean to do those mean things or say those hurtful words... I... I just thought I was helping...! I'm so sorry... Can you ever forgive me...?"

Serena paused, seeming dumbstruck by the suddenness of Shauna's apology. She gave a light smile, rubbing Shauna's back lightly.

"Oh Shauna, you're forgiven," said Serena, laughing softly.

Shauna raised her head from Serena's shoulder, looking up with tears wetting her eyes. "Do you mean that...?"

"Of course I do!"

* * *

Shauna was still weeping, but she was clinging to a new shoulder.

Tierno was standing on the grassy ridge, looking confused but very sad all the same. He patted Shauna's back, looking past her, listening to her incoherent ramblings, looking up to Serena who stood only a few paces away for any kind of support or understanding.

"That blog post... That answer to that question...! Oh gosh Serena, it's so sad... I can't believe I made you say all those sad things... Just... How you can feel for Ash... But you can't do anything about it...! Oh gosh... I'm so sorry I made you answer that..."

Shuffling uncomfortably, Serena folded her arms, looking away as Shauna burst into a fresh wave of bawling tears, burying her head deeper into Tierno's chest and weeping loudly. She looked less sad, more ashamed then she had before.

Tierno cleared his throat, looking up at the two. "Guys, maybe we should call it, for right now at least. It sounds like today got... Weird..."

Serena forced a smile. "Something like that."

"Serena, I want you to delete that blog..."

Both Serena and Tierno turned, looking at the source of the voice. It was Shauna, looking up at the both of them with red, puffy eyes. She sniffled, wiping her cheeks away lightly, stepping away from Tierno's side for a moment. She faced Serena, swallowing and trying to stay as held together as she possibly could, even though she seemed to be struggling.

Serena looked dumbstruck. She blinked, opening her mouth to say something but she wasn't quite sure what to say.

"Serena... It wasn't right of me to poke and prod like that... I... I obviously exposed a wound for you... I'm glad you were honest with me, but you didn't have to be..."

Serena swallowed, her own hurt feelings rising to the surface. She gave an understanding nod, thinking to herself before she looked back at Shauna.

"And... It sounds like you have some more to think about with a lot of that stuff..." Shauna continued. "Hopefully you'll start making peace with all of that..."

It was hard for Serena to smile, but she did, seeing Shauna's incredible smile beaming across at her. She stepped forward, pulling Shauna into a hug and hugging her tight.

"Hey, is that you Serena? Hi! It's good to see you! Did something happen?"

Shauna gasped, her eyes opening wide as she realized just who was talking. She took a step back, worming her way out of Serena's arms and turning back, seeing who it was.

Beside Tierno's large, imposing figure, Trevor had appeared, looking as small as ever. Beneath his thick reddish bangs, his face had turned pink with sun exposure, in stark contrast to Tierno's bronzed complexion. He looked up to Tierno, giving a cordial nod, moments before he looked up and saw Shauna pouncing on him with excitement, jumping at him and pulling him into a tight hug.

Both Serena and Tierno laughed.

Dazed, trying to stand upright and stay steady, Trevor looked up into Shauna's tear-stained features, looking deeply confused.

"I'm sorry Shauna... Did something happen?" he asked, his eyes wandering over where Shauna gripped his arms.

"Oh gosh Trevor, I have so much to tell you about!"


	25. Chapter 25

"Have you heard about the party later tonight? There's a sweet get-together going on, and Miette is hosting it all at the place she's staying."

"Oh really?" asked Serena, seeming distracted. "Is that where she ran off to? To go prepare?"

Down at Serena's feet, just past the park bench she sat on, Pancham was doing laps on the cobble road, running out to the far side by the grass and then sprinting back quickly, skidding to a halt just short of her boots. He made other, bodybuilder-esque poses and stretches, squatting on his short legs and flexing his arms, stretching from an extended stay inside the Pokeball.

Serena still held his Pokeball in her hand, resting over her knee, not having moved since she had released Pancham. She had been hypnotized by Pancham's energy, watching him run and jump in the final minutes of sunlight before the evening came. As she sat on the edge of the bench, hunched over and watching Pancham's stretches, she had grown tired, somewhat daydream-y, seeming to continually mull-over the questions from the day.

"I really think you should go. I mean, I know parties aren't your thing, but it's more of a casual get-together. Just something to take your mind off tonight, you know?"

Serena looked up over her shoulder, looking to the source of the voice speaking to her. It was Tierno, looking genuinely worried, standing just behind the bench and looking down.

The two of them looked over, seeing Shauna chatting with Trevor, telling him everything that had happened. Beside the simple two story cottage that housed the place with the milkshakes, a small pond had been made in a valley between the cottage and the forest that the road followed the edge of. Among the rocks and quaint decorations that lined the small pond, a pair of small sneakers and socks were stacked against a rock, with Shauna's bright pink sandals just beside them. Shauna and Trevor sat side-by-side, dangling their legs into the placid, motionless water, looking relaxed and seeming to enjoy themselves.

"I appreciate the invite," said Serena. She sighed gently, looking wistful. "I still need to think of some way to answer Shauna's question, among a few others."

Though Serena had looked away, Tierno continued to watch Serena, his look of concern growing for him.

"Serena, it's okay to just say 'you haven't'. Shauna got her answer," said Tierno. "Seriously, I'm worried for you. You should really think of doing something to clear your head."

Serena sighed, shaking her head. "I guess that's not all I'm thinking of... Earlier today I was thinking of closing my blog down just because I couldn't answer any questions right... Now I want to close it because my answers hurt people's feelings, like Shauna's."

Tierno looked shocked. He walked around the bench, eyeing the spot beside Serena and sitting himself down, catching Serena's attention when he did. He looked her in the eyes, seeing the mixed bag of emotions she held.

"You're taking this way too seriously," said Tierno.

"You... You really think so?"

"Yeah, I do. I think you're trying to answer all these questions with your head, not your gut."

Serena blinked, pausing for a moment.

"Shauna told me a little bit, but it sounds like Miette was mad at you because you tried to answer the question by writing something like a friggin' novel—a novel that didn't even _sound_ like you. Shauna was just trying to get you to answer the question honestly," said Tierno.

"But... I did answer the question honestly...?" asked Serena, looking up at Tierno, looking more confused than ever.

"You exposed something about yourself that no one was really supposed to see," said Tierno. "It hurt Shauna, and it hurt _you_."

"I... Okay..." Serena swallowed. She shuffled on the bench uncomfortably. "I guess I just don't understand what I'm supposed to do."

Tierno smiled. "You don't have to understand why, you just have to do. You can't think your way through something you're supposed to feel," he said. "It's like dancing!"

Serena couldn't help but chuckle. She shook her head, looking away in disbelief. She rubbed the sleep from her eye, doing her best not to laugh, even when she could hear in his tone and excitement he wasn't kidding.

"Tierno, everything is like dancing with you."

"No, I'm serious!" said Tierno. "You can _know_ how to dance—you can memorize moves, watch other people dance and memorize what they do—but a real dancer can feel the rhythm, they _groove_. The head has nothing to do with it. In fact, thinking about it makes it worse. Pokemon? They're way better dancers than people because they don't think about what they're doing as much as people do, they just _do_."

This gave Serena some pause. She thought about it, silently contemplating as she watched Pancham down below, practicing punches in the street, pumping his tiny stumpy arms and making low grunting noises. Her mind flashed to moments from Showcases, where Pancham was dancing and stumbling through, but still incredibly happy. She remembered moments where she was happy, watching him dance and perform moves with Braixen and Sylveon.

"I think I get it," Serena smiled.

"Good," said Tierno. "Now, _relax_. Take a load off. Enjoy the company of your friends."

Looking over again at where Shauna and Trevor were by the lake, Shauna seemed much happier now. She was laughing, kicking her legs through the water as she listened to stories from Trevor, flipping through stacks of photo prints he had pulled from his backpack.

"I think I can do that now. Tierno, thank you."


	26. Chapter 26

_One more thing I have to do._

* * *

Still on the bench, Serena gave a passing glance down the road as Tierno, Shauna and Trevor all walked up the road with their Pokemon, far ahead of where they had left Serena. She looked up at them, all while she reached into her bag, pulling out the laptop. She smoothed the pink ends of her dress, setting the base of the laptop over her legs and opening the lid. The light of the screen flashed on, her keys glowing.

As her fingers lightly touched on the trackpad, moving the cursor onto the web browser and began combing through comments, she felt the bench beside her bounce lightly. She looked over at Pancham, watching as he lifted himself over the bench, his arms and head over the side with his torso levied on the lip of the bench, his legs kicking up in a desperate bid to push himself over. Serena reached down and helped him along, getting him up onto the bench. Instead of sitting, Pancham got to his feet, looking back up at Serena and giving a stern, concerned look.

"Panpan!"

Serena smiled softly. "No worries, Pancham. I just have one last little thing to do, and then we'll catch up with the others," she said.

Satisfied with the answer, though looking suspicious, Pancham sat himself down on the bench, resting his head against the bench. His little arms folded together as he kept giving Serena suspicious glances.

With a few easy keystrokes, Serena launched the word processor. Her gaze steeled, her lips pursing as she focused on her thoughts.

* * *

 **ringsandamiss007 asks:**

 **Why did you dress up as Ash and why were you smelling his scent on his clothes?**

* * *

 _Hi!_

 _Why was I smelling Ash's coat?_

 _Because it smells good! It smells like confidence, and confidence is good!_

 _Thanks for asking!_

* * *

Serena closed the laptop lid shut. She beamed with pride, feeling much better than she had earlier. She slipped the laptop back into her bag, standing back up and slinging her bag back over her shoulder.

"Pan- _chaaa_!" Pancham yelled, pumping his furry fist in the air.

Smiling, Serena reached down, meeting the fist. "Come on sweetie, let's go catch up with the others."

* * *

Meanwhile:

Behind the cottage, James and Meowth sat with their backs to the wall, both enjoying apples that they held in their hands.

"Can you believe it? Apple trees, on a tropical island!" James beamed, taking another juicy bite. "Maybe our luck is turning out for the better."

"We's may be criminal masterminds, but we's also know that the best things in life are free!" said Meowth, grinning, his lips covered in apple pulp and juices.

Just ahead of them, Jessie sat with the laptop in her lap, her apple at her side remaining completely untouched. Her face glowed in the light of the laptop screen, her features snarling as she read through the comments on Serena's blog. A vein threatened to burst from her forehead.

" _Just who does this twerp think she is?!_ " Jessie shouted, slamming the lid down.

James blinked, completely unaware of the situation unfolding just a few short feet from him. He looked over to Meowth by his side, seeing that he was still in an apple-induced state of bliss, opening his mouth wide to suck down the thin apple core.

Getting to his feet, he walked over to Jessie, cringing and reacting like he was about to get hit when the lid of the laptop slammed down. Still, finding some small center of bravery in him, he pushed on, coming along to her side.

"Sounds like character assassination isn't going as planned..?" James asked, cautiously.

Jessie made fists with her hands, shaking them towards the screen and shouting incoherent, unrepeatable things. She then took the laptop, tossing it as far as she could throw it.

James' first instinct was to panic, but before he could say or do anything, he took a step back to avoid Jessie as she got to her feet and ran down the stretch of field towards where the laptop had landed. James looked to Meowth, waving to him and then picking up to run after her.

Jessie dropped to her knees in front of the laptop. She picked up a rock, gripping it in her hand and bashing the laptop over and over, cracking the casing and smashing through the electronic components inside. She shouted blindly, her whole face turning red with rage.

"Stupid... Stupid...! Somebody oughta teach that brat a lesson— _grrrah!_ —and it's going to be me!" Jessie screeched.

James hesitated, cringing as he heard more and more of the laptop break but moving unsteadily when he wasn't sure what to do.

"Jessie—yikes!—let's consider the outcomes of this course of action before—augh!"

Meowth came over just moments later, panting and out of breath. His reaction changed instantly when he saw the laptop.

"Hey! Whatsa big idea here? That's the only cheapo laptop that we can get! The boss said no more laptopses after this one!" Meowth shouted.

As Jessie let out one loud battle cry, wielding the rock high over her head, James grabbed her arm, stopping her in place. When Jessie went to protest, both of them stopped, pausing and listening to something down below.

The wreckage of the laptop, now sporting a massive crater through the center, was hissing quietly. A thin trail of black smoke snaked out of the cracks.

Jessie, James and Meowth all looked at each other.

* * *

As Serena walked across a bridge that connected two large hills, a thin stream far beneath her leading to the sea, she heard something echo through the forest that made her stop. It was the sound of a massive explosion from far away. To Serena, it sounded close to the area she had been in earlier.

A large, fiery explosion rose above the trees, dissipating in the night air. As Serena watched, she thought she could make out the three distinct figures flying through the sky, hurtling up towards the moon away from the explosion. Her eyes narrowed; the figures were too distant to tell, but Serena had a sneaking suspicion of who it was.

"Chaaam..." Pancham said, his eyes glowing and reflecting the fiery explosion, wide with amazement.

Serena smiled. "I guess Ash has been busy!"


	27. Chapter 27

_Snap!_

The camera wheezed, a tiny motor whirring inside. Trevor lowered it, looking up and watching the battle from the sidelines. A tiny chime played from the camera, a brief preview appearing on the screen; Greninja was throwing a punch, streaks of water flying off his arm, reflecting and glistening in the moonlight, with Ash at his side and Tierno and Blastoise out of field.

"Any good pictures yet?"

Trevor turned. Serena was only a few steps away, just over his shoulder. As she approached, moving somewhat shyly, he raised the camera's preview pane to her, holding it out just to the side as they shared a view.

"Check it out! I got him right in the middle of Water Shuriken!" said Trevor.

"Wow! Very nice Trevor. New camera?"

"Yep!"

"Panpan!"

Trevor raised his camera, looking down by his legs. He smiled at the familiar face, feeling Pancham punch his leg playfully. He squatted down, rustling the fur on his head, eliciting a few playful yelps from him.

"Hey! It's good to see you too, buddy," said Trevor, grinning, pointing his camera down and snapping a photo.

Watching Pancham, the ever-eager model, Serena giggled. She stepped out of the way, looking on as Trevor dropped down onto his belly, getting new angles on Pancham as he posed.

A skidding sound caught Serena's attention. She raised her head, looking into the street and towards where the sound had come from. She watched wide-eyed with wonder, as Greninja took the blunt force of a Skull Bash from Blastoise, his legs bending and his frog feet gripping the gravel of the road as he stopped the momentum. At Greninja's side, Ash watched the tense scene, looking as invested as though he were in the fight himself.

Greninja threw his arms out at Blastoise, a hand pushed against his face as he fought the launching force of Skull Bash. His arm braced against the shell armor of Blastoise's torso as his hand tried to find a grip. Wincing, shutting an eye, Greninja hissed as Blastoise's grunting, chomping maw came inches from his head and only came back when Greninja pushed back with all his might. His strength wavered, something he could tell Blastoise was enjoying by the way he snorted hot air in his face.

"Hit him again, Water Shuriken!" Ash shouted, clenching his fist.

"Gre-ennn!"

Greninja let his arm slip, flying out to his side. Blastoise immediately threw his weight at Greninja, and Greninja bore the brunt of the strike on his shoulders. The force kicked up the gravel beneath his feet, loosening his grip and sending him skidding back a foot, Blastoise right on him and still applying his force. Jets of water ran down the length of Greninja's arm and burst into the wide arc of the Shuriken. Greninja pulled his arm back and drove the spiked, watery ends into the center of Blastoise's chest. The half-formed Shuriken exploded, knocking Blastoise back a step, moments before he immediately unleashed a second Shuriken and flung it straight into his torso.

The second Shuriken exploded on contact, dousing Blastoise and sending him flying backwards. After a moment in mid-air, he crashed down in the road, gravel exploding out beneath his shell and hurtling towards Tierno.

Tierno covered his face with his arm, shielding himself from the onslaught of flying debris. Coughing, lowering his arm in the moments after, he squinted and searched through the swirling dust. When it cleared, he saw Blastoise laying in the rubble, unconscious.

Both Greninja and Ash shared a look. They nodded at each other.

While Tierno retrieved Blastoise, chatting about his next Pokemon in the background, Ash found himself looking past Greninja, looking up and over at the other side of the street, right where Serena was. He smiled lightly, waving at her.

Serena waved back.

* * *

The steps up to the cabin creaked beneath Serena's boots, the old wooden boards bending with each step up. Before Serena had reached the main deck of the cabin, the screen door opened with a rattle, pouring lamplight onto the dim, moonlit balcony. A small shadow grew to a long, tall shadow as the door opened, a silhouette of a much smaller person standing in the doorway, propping the door open with an arm: it was Bonnie.

"Serena!"

Serena laughed softly, waving. "Hi Bonnie!"

Down beside Bonnie's legs, Dedenne scampered along, helping nudge the door open with all of his face. He kept the door open, giving Bonnie the chance to welcome Serena inside, moments before scampering back inside, running away from the slowly closing door.

Inside, the simple cabin had been adorned with rustic decorations and coastal trinkets. An old sign faced Serena as soon as she entered, reading 'Welcome to Costa Nova'. By the simple furnishings and the small area, Serena judged they were in an entryway of some sorts. As her eyes wandered over the rug beneath her, she saw the pile of shoes in the corner. She took the cue, removing her boots.

As she stacked the boots beside the other shoes, she noticed a familiar sight; Miette's red shoes. She paused, remembering that the cabin was a rental.

Behind Serena, Bonnie had wandered back around, trying to pick some dirt from his paw while simultaneously trying not to track dirt in on her bare feet. Once she had caught up to him and cleaned his paws with the white rag in her hand, returning to the corner bin to return the rag, she set about cleaning her own feet.

"Bonnie, where's Miette?" asked Serena.

"In the living room," Bonnie scowled. A look of annoyance appeared on her. "She's been playing on my 3DS non-stop!"

Serena blinked. She had just removed her red vest and was about to hang it up, but she was too confused by what Bonnie had said to even speak up or say anything.

"Why?"


	28. Chapter 28

"The... _Nerve!_ "

Serena, in the kitchen, had only started her search for Miette, having entered the first room on the left, but she had wondered no longer. Her eyes grew wider with concern, taking a few silent steps across the kitchen and past the dining table, her hands held poised at her side as she listened for the next few sounds from Miette.

As she left the room, entering into the back room—the common area—she looked no further. She looked down at the couch beside the wall.

Miette was on her back, Bonnie's blue 3DS clutched in her hands and held up above her. She had dressed down, visibly relaxing with her vest, tie and bonnet removed. Her teal blouse had only one corner tucked in her skirt, buttoned down with the collar no longer pressed to her neck. The sleeves had been unbuttoned and had fallen down near her elbows. Her long stockings had wrinkles, with one slipping down her calf slightly. Her short blue hair was tousled, almost bedheaded without the bonnet.

Bags had formed around her eyes, her gaze intent on the tiny screen of the handheld. A perpetual sneer had formed.

"H-Hi Miette...!" Serena spoke up, waving sheepishly.

Miette's eyes flashed at Serena, giving her a passing glance before immediately returning to the 3DS. Her thumbs rapidly tapped on a few buttons, the stylus pinched between her fingers.

"Hello Serena," said Miette, frustration in her voice.

Though she looked confused, Serena came around to Miette's side, sitting on the coffee table just in front of Miette's couch. Her hands folded over her knees, her back straight as she sat somewhat uncomfortably. She drummed her fingers against the hem of her leggings, watching Miette play in complete silence.

"Gee Miette, I didn't know you were into—"

"Video games? Video games are for children, Serena. I wouldn't stoop so low as to play video games."

Serena opened her mouth to respond, but her expression wilted. She slumped forward, shaking her head, feeling herself take the bait.

"Miette, then why—"

"Then why am I playing video games? Is that what you were about to ask, Serena?" Miette interrupted, a vein visibly bulging from her brow. "Well, Serena, you know I'm never one to pass up a challenge, no matter how childish the challenge may be. I'm better than most challenges, you know."

"Well, Miette, I appreciate that part about your character, but—"

" _But nothing_ ," Miette hissed. "I invited Ash and your posse over for a late afternoon dinner, some snacks and games, as well as Shauna and her gaggle of idiots, and then _Bonnie_ —oh, _Bonnie_ —she has been doing nothing but lounging on this couch and playing nothing but that silly, childish—"

"Pokemon Crossing," Serena groaned.

" _Pokemon Crossing_."

"And let me guess," said Serena. She rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "She said you couldn't do better than her."

"Because I think it's awfully rude of Bonnie not to come and enjoy the lovely spread that I've put out, especially when I know Ash could devour all of my cooking single-handedly and I have to fight so very hard to make sure others get the chance to taste it. I've invited Bonnie over for a fun time, and I've _slaved_ all of the morning preparing snacks for everyone, and what does she want to do? The same, _ridiculous_ thing she's been doing this whole trip, I hear—play _Pokemon Crossing_."

Serena sighed again, loudly. "Miette, she's... I mean, she's young. I did that when I was young. You did that too, probably. I mean, I don't know for sure that you did that, but, you know, it's—"

"And then Bonnie tells me 'it's not that simple', that the game isn't that 'easy' or 'straightforward'. Stuff like it's 'more complicated than you think'. 'It takes an eye for design', 'it takes creativity', 'it takes a sense of fashion'," said Miette, abusively using air-quotes with her fingers.

"Oh boy."

"And so I take her up on it, and—"

"And it sounds like it's kinda hard, isn't it?" asked Bonnie.

Both Miette and Serena looked over to the entryway, seeing Bonnie lean in through the kitchen, wearing a smug grin. Down by her feet, Dedenne wore a similarly smug expression.

Miette exploded.

" _Now listen to me_ ," Miette hissed, shrilly. "I'm absolutely _sick to death_ of little quips from you and the _Happy House Academy_ , okay?"

Miette's incessant quippings slowly faded into the background for Serena. Instead of listening, she was gazing back past where Bonnie leaned in the entrance of the living space, back towards the front of the room, where the shoes were stacked by the front door. She saw her own, she saw Bonnie's, and she saw a familiar pair of pink sandals. She was transfixed momentarily, putting together the pieces in her head silently.

Still engaged, Bonnie had to cover her mouth as she giggled, realizing Miette was dead serious in her ramblings. She kicked Dedenne when his hysterical chittering became too much to bear for Miette.

"—and I'll _have you know_ , that for one, I have far more fashion sense—far more creative _savvy—_ than you or your silly Dedenne!" Miette said, practically shrieking. "More creative talent than any silly game can comprehend or some made-up committee can even _tally_!"

"Wow Miette, you sound angry."

" _I have more genius in my whole pinky finger than you have in your whole body!_ "

"Wait, everyone, where's Shauna?"


	29. Chapter 29

A mess of thin wires dangled out of the cabinet shelf, each of the spaghetti-like wires plugging into the back of a large, black box—a stereo receiver. Handprints covered the dusty, vented surface, the cables gently rattling against one another as a pair of dirt, nimble fingers manipulated the tiny cables, snapping them into ports onto the backside.

The receiver rested in Clemont's folded legs, a set of needle-nose pliers in his hand while his other hand combed through the cables to pull one out, as he carefully inspected the end through his wide spectacles. He twisted the dirty, frayed end of the cable, twisting it to a fine, thick point before reinserting it into the port.

"I don't know Shauna, it looks like everything should be working here," said Clemont.

Beside where Clemont was on the floor, Shauna was standing up by a small, short table that had been propped up by the wall. Her wide, curious eyes poured over the pages of a disc collection, reading over the different labels of CDs in sleeves. Her hands graced the pages, lingering on certain discs as she recalled familiar titles.

Clemont wiped a bead of sweat from beneath his long blond bangs, taking a momentary breath. As he did, he gave a passing glance over towards where Shauna was. Her bare legs shuffled lightly and rubbed together as she was momentarily lost in thought. The smooth, coffee-colored surface of her skin caught his eye for a moment before he forced himself to look up, forcing himself to swallow and suppress the extra beat he felt in his heart, watching as Shauna further engrossed herself in the book of CDs.

"Shauna, did you find the CD you were looking for?" asked Clemont.

Shauna sighed, tipping her head sideways. "No, not yet... There's just so many! I can't believe that I've lugged this book around for so long and I don't know where anything is..."

Clemont nodded sagely, lowering his gaze. He looked back at the receiver in his hands, dissatisfied with his progress. All of the cables looked right, or at least he thought as his fingers combed through the many strands of wires.

Grunting, Clemont lifted the heavy receiver, visibly struggling with the weight while he pushed the cables back behind the shelf, all while Shauna watched in the background. Panting, he got back down onto one knee, facing the CD player just beneath the receiver. He clicked it on, tapping a few buttons and flicking a few switches, playing with settings on the front of the device, his eyes narrowing at the small screen.

"Well, it might not matter..." Clemont sighed. "I'm not sure I can get this receiver to work with the CD player. I'm usually really good with technology, but this stuff is so... Ancient. It could've been in the bottom of this cabin for years since it was last swapped out with anything."

A light giggle came from Shauna, making Clemont look up at her. Their eyes met, Clemont looking up in confusion and Shauna looking down with a knowing, teasing look. She returned her attention to book in moments, still wearing the infectious smile she had put on, but Clemont stayed confused. As he returned his attention to his work, he had to divert his eyes again before he got caught in the pull of her smooth legs.

"You seem to know a lot about technology, Clemont."

"Thank you! Heh, it's... It's uh... Kinda my thing. Just something I've always known," said Clemont, chuckling nervously as he switched through menus on the CD player. "Just... I've just never known a whole lot about audio equipment. I just don't really have the experience necessary to properly fix something like this."

Shauna chuckled again, making Clemont cringe. He stayed focused on the receiver.

"Oh? Did you not listen music on when you were younger? Did your parents not have stuff?"

"No, they did," said Clemont. "My dad just had a little box radio. It was just something he got when he was young. He didn't like to use anything else. It was the only piece of technology my dad didn't let me tinker with—he _really_ didn't like me getting close to it."

Shauna giggled again. "My dad always had all the latest and greatest speaker stuff. I just wasn't really all that interested in figuring out what it all was. I listened to a lot of music when I was with him."

Clemont looked up curiously. "He really liked music, huh?" he asked.

"Yep! All of these CDs were his."

"Wow! That's... That's um, quite the collection there, Shauna. What is it all...?" asked Clemont.

Shauna looked back as she flipped a page, giving a coy smile. "What kinds of music do you listen to?" she asked.

Clemont blinked silently, his brow furrowing as he thought of what to answer with. The pliers in his hand dangled over his knee, his fingers silently curling as continued to stare at the rug-covered floor and think.

"I didn't listen to a lot of music. My dad likes country—like old country—but I'm not sure it's for me," answered Clemont. "What did you—well, what did you or your dad listen to?"

The grin Shauna wore turned giddy. Her fingers worked through the plastic sleeve of the page in the binder, slipping a simple CD out of its holster and out into her hand.

Clemont, having returned his attention to setting up the CD player, a look of annoyance on his face, was suddenly pushed aside. He groaned, looking up in surprise, getting a faceful of Shauna's closely-hugging jean shorts. He looked up as, with ease, Shauna tapped a few different buttons on the CD player, activating the speakers and getting the receiver to work effortlessly. The tray popped out, and Shauna slipped her disc inside.

Music pumped through the speakers. Oak cabinet speakers mounted in the upper corners of the small room, aimed down towards the center of the room with their black, fuzzy covers facing out, played music gently. Clemont recognized the sounds, getting to his feet gently as he seemed lost in the sound, trying to decipher the exact kind of music it was. When he had finally pieced together in his mind what he was listening to, he opened his mouth to speak and say the answer, Shauna stepped around in front of him, looking up into his waiting eyes.

"Jazz," said Shauna, smiling knowingly.

With the words seemingly taken out of his mouth, he stared down at Shauna, watching as she stepped forward and looked up at him. Every time he thought she was close, she took another step and got a little closer. When he took a step back, realizing Shauna was getting awfully close, he looked back up from watching his own steps to meet with Shauna's face again, only realizing then that it was all intentional.

Swallowing hard, Clemont felt the heat rising in his face, his ears turning a boiling red. His lips bunched up uncomfortably as he looked at Shauna nervously.

Clemont had raised his hand earlier, pointing at the invisible sound as if to identify it. Now Shauna was taking his hand in hers.

"Clemont, may I have this dance?"

* * *

In the upper corner of the basement, just beneath the ceiling where the stairs descended down into the space, Serena had peered her head down, her body hidden to the side. She watched on as Shauna guided Clemont through a gentle, awkward shuffle—he was doing his best to keep it together, moving stiffly and keeping his head down, watching as his socked feet moved on the floor dangerously close to Shauna's bare feet, all while Shauna whispered simple dance instructions to him. Narrowing her eyes, Serena saw a hand on Clemont's shoulder, rubbing affectionately and moving closer to the neck of his jumpsuit. Though Clemont looked like he was on the verge of exploding into an awkward mess, Shauna was enjoying every second, grinning with delight. Serena was a mix of amusement and amazement, smiling warmly.

Down by Serena's side, kneeling in front of the stairway railing, Bonnie pressed her face between the bars, her hands gripping the bars as she strained to see. Her eyes were shimmering with tears, a goofy smile plastered over her face. She sighed dreamily, looking like a proud mother.

"My big bro... All grown up!" Bonnie whispered, wiping away a tear.


	30. Chapter 30

The sun had barely risen over the horizon, barely above the seas. Its heavenly glow shone through the open window, casting rays of light through the dim hotel room.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Serena gazed out at the window, seeing what a beautiful day today would be. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes silently. Combing her fingers through her messy, sleep-ridden hair, she pulled the length of it all back, slipping a thin, stretchy band over her fingers and letting it snap down and make a ponytail.

Serena looked down. She had replaced her sleeping shirt with a sporty, slim-fitting pink shirt. A pink pair of compression shorts adorned her legs. Down on her feet, she wore slim black ankle socks, and a pair of new, bright blue tennis shoes. The shoelaces felt springy and taught in Serena's grip, making a nice, satisfying sliding sound when she tugged. The sneakers were snug, and when she stood up, she felt a nice spring in her step.

Just beside where she sat, a folded note rested open, thin blue words scrawled on it in pen. Beside it, freshly ruffled tissue paper stuck outside of a new shoe box.

* * *

 _Serena!_

 _Thinking of you,_

 _Love, mom_

* * *

 **EllyTheTomodachi asks:**

 **What's your favourite sport?**

* * *

 _Hi there! And thanks for asking your question._

 _I'll admit, I've never been a sporty kind of girl. I'm certainly no athlete. Whenever I got the chance to play a sport I never did well, or I skipped entirely. I feel I get enough exercise from Showcases and just traveling all around Kalos to worry about being lazy._

* * *

The long morning shadow of the resort covered the main street ahead. The main city limits of Costa Nova were only a few miles ahead, and beyond that the sky was giving the bright blue hue of the day.

Serena was stretching. Her leg had bent backwards, the toe of her shoe in her grip. She pulled from behind her back until her knees popped, before performing the exact same stretch on her other leg.

She held a small, boxy MP3 player in her hands. Her fingers glided over the screen, tapping through menus as she picked out the perfect song. A thin, white wire uncoiled from her fingers, with one end plugging into the MP3 player and another ending in earbuds. She slipped them into her ears, pressing play.

Serena's sneakers hit the pavement, landing from the steps of the resort. She picked up a steady, jogging pace, running towards where a path diverted from the road.

* * *

 _But... even though I think those things are hard._

 _I think they are_ _good_ _for me._

* * *

The long, narrow path weaved through the tall grasses, leading to a small bridge. Serena stopped herself on the bridge, her thin, paced breaths suddenly catching up with her in quick, heated bursts. Her whole face throbbed, her mouth feeling dry.

The city shone with the sun in its corner. The blue haze of distance had faded with the gray and black facings of the tall structures facing Serena in much closer proximity. The buildings closer to the ground glowed in the yellowy haze of the low, rising sun.

She was deep in the grassy fields. Beneath her, through the slatted boards of the bridge, a gentle stream of water trickled over rocks and through the sand. She followed the stream with her gaze, where it pooled and met with other streams in a basin on the other side. The moving, swirling waters ran over the silty surface, through sparsely spread reeds and rocks, all running towards the edge of the mainland where the land dropped off steeply towards the shore.

* * *

 _Hard things like running or any kind of sport are far more rewarding than easy things. As much as I hate the feeling of being worn out, being tired and sweaty, the feeling of accomplishment is so rewarding. It drives me. It brings me fulfillment._

 _So, when it comes to sports, I'm very open-minded. I'll try just about anything!_

* * *

The sand crunched on concrete stairs beneath Serena's sneakers. As she lifted a leg, cleaning the collected sand in the rim of her nice, new sneaker, she looked a few steps down, seeing where drifts of sand piled on over the stairs. She looked at her sneakers worryingly.

Moments later, Serena was gently sinking her bare feet into the cool sand. Her toes had grown red with abuse, numb with soreness. The sand immediately stuck to the sweaty underside, feeling cool, sending a prickly sensation up her back. Her fingers hooked under her sneakers and into the warm, wet and plush interior, hanging them off of her fingers.

She hopped down the remaining stairs, sand plowing up over her legs in spikes as she hustled down. In the shadow of the mainland, the sand was cool underfoot, the sea breeze chilling her arms as she continued to run. It didn't take long before Serena had reached the compacted, dense sand, a stretch that blended evenly with the frigid wet sand.

The sea was calm, quiet, crashing sounds muffled by distance. The waves were already turning blue. A cruise ship was passing in the distance, and ahead of it were two islands.

* * *

 _But my favorites?_

 _My favorite sports are the ones I play with my friends. Anything I do with my friends is my favorite—it makes anything meaningful._

 _Thanks for asking!_


	31. Chapter 31

The shadows of the mainland had receded, exposing much of the beach to sunlight. A small alcove of darkness had gathered beneath a particularly high area of land, covering a small oasis of water with darkness.

Vines had grown up and down the wall, the rock smooth and wet with the steady trickling of water that cascaded down it. Down below, a large pool of water had formed at the base of the tall rock face, with water continually pouring in from where the waterfall made a landing. The water was pure, smooth and glass-like, with a gentle flow at the end of it where it funneled through a small canyon of sand, heading down towards the sea.

Serena held onto a water bottle, keeping it raised as she gulped the water noisily. She finished draining the whole bottle in seconds, gasping for air moments later. As she breathed, keeping a hand on her hip, she stared down at the pooled water in the sand, contemplating silently.

She reached into her shorts, pulling out the MP3 player and pausing the music she had been listening to. She pulled the earbuds from her ears, listening to the gentle sounds of the ocean.

The fanny pack on her waist zipped open, and she slipped the empty water bottle back inside. She then pulled out a Pokeball, holding it in front of where she could see it as she zipped the fanny pack back up. Tossing it in her hand, feeling the familiar weight, she then looked over towards the sandy clearing beside her, and lobbed the Pokeball.

A large, bright flash of red energy appeared, quickly materializing into Braixen. A gust of sand kicked up, sparks of flames emanating from all around her body. Looking through the sand, squinting in the sunlight as Braixen looked into the darkness, she immediately grinned when he saw Serena, making a happy cry when she saw her.

Serena hopped up, wrapping her arms around Braixen's torso and pulling her into a tight hug. Her compact, furry body pressed against her shirt, brushing against her arms. She felt her nimble paws touch on her back as she completed the hug.

* * *

 **liamisgreat asks:**

 **I have a question for you Serena. If Braixen evolved into Delphox, what would happen if it gained the Bond Phenomenon like Ash's Greninja did?**

* * *

 _Delphox? Gosh, I don't know._

 _I think that all really depends on what the future holds for us. If I were going to do more Showcases, I think that would be very likely. We'd want to train really hard for a Showcase or anything like that in the future. Maybe there will be a different kind of competition in our future, who knows?_

 _There's also a strong possibility that Braixen and I won't have to train like that in the near future, either. Maybe I'll go to school or academy, and I won't be battling as much. Maybe I'll just continue to travel Kalos, or go somewhere else! There are lots of regions to explore too, and I don't know that I'd need to train very hard for that._

 _I also know that evolution is a matter of will, too. Does I even want Braixen to evolve? Does Braixen want to evolve? The answers change for me a lot._

 _But, more importantly, do I think that Braixen will gain the bond phenomena? Honestly, not really. I think that it is a special bond between Ash and Greninja, and I don't know that it can be replicated. I'm happy for the relationship that I have between Braixen and myself, and I wouldn't want to change a thing about it._

 _Thanks for your question!_

* * *

Several cabins dotted the grassy field, spread out sparsely with small clearings around them for various outdoor activities. Serena's sneakers crunched on the gravel as she followed the path in towards the cabins from the shore, scanning and looking for anything familiar. On a clothesline, she saw Miette's clothes wavering softly in the sea breeze, hanging close to her own cabin.

When she reached the right cabin, she hopped up the steps quickly, coming up to the front door. She knocked on the door, audibly, listening to the inside of the cabin quietly.

Just behind her, Braixen was following up the gravelly path to the cabin's clearing. Up on the railings of the cabin's deck, a familiar figure slumped against a post, snoozing silently with a blanket over his taught belly and Pokepuff crumbs over his blanket and on his cheeks: it was Chespin, snoozing through the morning. Braixen reached up, poking Chespin with her stick, unable to wake him up so easily.

Moments later, the door opened. Serena, who had been watching Braixen toy with Chespin, looked back to see Clemont, looking sleepy but all the more happy to see her. His eyes looked tiny without his glasses on, his blond hair tossed about and looking somewhat crazy.

"Serena! Good morning! What brings you here? I think Ash is asleep right now," said Clemont.

"I... Um..." Serena chuckled nervously. "I actually came here to see you."

"Me...?" Clemont asked, looking confused.

"Yeah! You're actually the only person I've hardly seen since we've been here. I wanted to see if you were free to go hang out?"

Clemont blinked. He smiled, nodding profusely. "Sure Serena! I'd love to! What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking we could go to the museum, and then—"

Serena was cut off. A loud, scrambling noise came from the railings of the cabin's deck, where Chespin scrambled to his feet, shouting incoherently at Braixen. He pointed a paw at Braixen, specifically at the end of his wand where a small flame had popped up, chittering with annoyance as he spouted curses in Pokemon-ish.

"Just, you know, hanging out?" Serena smiled, returning her attention to Clemont.


	32. Chapter 32

"Do you think we're getting close?" asked Clemont, clutching his backpack straps as he walked.

Serena looked up from the map briefly, clutching it in both hands. They had reached the end of the block, pausing in the middle of the walking street, her eyes comparing the street markers on the map to the ones posted at the street corner. Her finger traced the thin markers of street signs on the map, seeing how far they were from their destination.

"I think so," Serena said, cautiously. She looked up, giving Clemont a confused look.

"May I see?" Clemont asked, gesturing to the map.

As Serena handed it to him, Clemont picked the map up. Straightening the wide lenses of his glasses, he looked down at the map, his eyes narrowing as he closely inspected it.

"Oh Serena, it looks like we may have passed it," Clemont said, giving a sheepish look.

Serena matched the sheepish look. "Oh... Whoops!"

* * *

 **ZinchaCordon asks:**

 **Serena, would you turn into Nike of Samthorace because of the Rio Olympics?**

* * *

The pale minimalist walls of the museum glowed in the lights overhead, evenly lighting every work and composition displayed. Attendance was decent, with a strong amount of people wandering and distributing themselves through the wide and open spaces.

At one of the walls, Clemont stood before a tall, thin painting of a sea serpent Pokemon, his body snaking through several layers of water and different underwater ecosystems that resided in those different layers. The different hues of water at different layers changed the appearance of the Pokemon throughout, with the tail being pink from the hot, crater-like pits of magma at the very bottom, trailing up through the blue layers of the ocean until the creature reached the sky, turning a familiar emerald green. The whole painting was rendered in cut-out layers of paper, pasted on through many other painted layers of paper, drawn in the traditional Draconid art style.

As Clemont reached into his jacket, pulling out a small, metal-bodied remote with a large red button and large red switch on it, he turned back and looked to Serena, seeing where she was behind her. His squinted, narrow eyes wandered through the main showroom until he spotted her in front of a tall, marble statue.

"Hey... Serena!" Clemont whispered, trying to keep his voice at low enough levels for the museum. His eyes darted side to side as he leaned in closer. "Serena...!" he repeated.

Serena continued to be enthralled by the statue, much to his dismay. He watched silently, flicking a switch on his remote absentmindedly. From his backpack, an arm swung out, moving a small device out from a slot on his backpack. Scowling, turning his attention back to the painting, he pressed the red button. The device opened up, sprouting a round camera lens, snapping a quick photo. He quickly switched the device off, the arm snapping back into his backpack as a Polaroid printed from a slot on the device, falling into his hand as he walked to the next painting, shaking the photo paper and whistling as he passed the 'No Photography' on the wall.

The tall, marble statue in the center of the room resembled something human, even if it was far larger and taller than anyone that Serena had seen. It was a woman, gaily dressed in Jovian robes that adorned her figure, flowing all around her as a focal point of wind came from her outstretched hands. Her outstretched arm held a set of marble-carved chains, pointed downward as if to point towards an item or a figure bound down at her feet, and by the several lengths of chain wrapped around her chain and wrists, Serena couldn't tell if she was tugging or throwing the chain. The hand by her side seemed to be brushed back in a gesture of grace and serenity, though it hovered dangerously close to the dagger on her waist.

The deep pits of her pupils stared out at Serena, and Serena stared back. The graceful, artfully carved features seemed judicious, wise. A length of vine wrapped just above her hair, holding her bangs just above her eyes. The length of her hair had been cut back, trimmed to curl just beneath her cheeks.

"Ah! Another patron captured by Holy Mars' divinity! It seems to be like clockwork in this hall," said a voice. "A truly transformative piece of work would make someone stop in their tracks for more than a passing amusement."

Serena turned. She gave a curious, confused look to the figure who had spoken behind her.

A man dressed quaintly, with a stockier build and refined features, gazed out at Serena beneath thin, round glasses. His skin was a deep tan, complementing a head of slicked black hair and a deep black jacket. A warm, green sweater made of thick wool hung between the refined jacket, just above a pair of khakis and leather loafers.

"You've seen it's female? Of course, her beauty is unmatched, but you notice its unusual for Mars? Mars, a male in antiquity, has a female counterpart in the Post-War culture. And yet, it seems that this figure has always existed, just as the transformative nature of Pokemon are to our world. Lest we forget, this world hasn't always had Pokemon in it."

Serena swallowed, looking deeply confused. Down on the white, minimalist platform the aging statue had been placed on, she saw the tag, dating the statue to close to two thousand years old. The title read 'Mars of the Plateau'.

"It seems incomplete..." said Serena, looking to the downward pointing chain. Looking at the man, she gestured towards the chain, where it cracked midway through a sculpted link.

"Ah! You've touched on one of the great mysteries of this work. Many before you, patrons and scholars alike have pondered the very same question."

The man came around beside the sculpture. He ran a hand along the chain, feeling the smooth carved surface of the links. "Many of the Jovian works will never have their mysteries uncovered. Some will though, and so we must hold out hope."

"Um, I don't believe you're supposed to do that...?" Serena winced, watching as the man touched the chain.

The man looked between Serena and the statue, then laughed. He reached around, holding Serena's shoulder as he laughed, drawing the confusion out of Serena.

"My goodness, you are a bright one, child. I've completely neglected to introduce myself! My name is Zincha, I am the curator of this here museum that you see. It is the artistic representation of the whole earth in a crowing jewel of Costa Nova."

Serena's eyes widened. Embarassed, her cheeks lit up, her lips pursing as she held her tongue. When the curator reached his hand out for an introductory shake, she took it reluctantly, limply returning the shake. She stared up at him, shocked.

"I'm... I'm honored!" Serena finally got out, smiling and nodding. "You have quite a beautiful collection."

"You are absolutely welcome to peruse, Miss...?"

"Serena! My name is Serena," said Serena, grinning nervously.

"Serena... The performer!" said Zincha, smiling lightly. His bespectacled eyes wandered over Serena. He held his hands out in front of her, visually framing her. "Perhaps you'd like to take a look at my newest collection? Perhaps you'd like to participate?"

"Participate...?"


	33. Chapter 33

"This is something of a new addition to our museum. It's something I've looked forward to showing for a long time."

Serena followed silently, staying close to Zincha as he led her through the halls of the museum. As she looked around, she saw less and less people around her in the museum, the wing they were in strangely devoid of people.

Zincha had stopped in front of a door, almost completely hidden from view with it flush against the white, plain wall. From a large clip on one of his belt loops, he pulled a ring of keys, slipping the right key into the door and pressing down on the slim, silvery handle, popping the door open. The door opened into a dim, completely empty room, Zincha stepping inside and propping the door in the corner beside the entrance. He beckoned Serena inside, and she followed him.

"After seeing your performance in the last showcase and seeing all your thoughtful answers on the blog, seeing that you had taken a small vacation on Costa Nova," said Zincha, his voice echoing in the space, "I felt obligated to show you this. It is a masterwork."

While Zincha busied himself with a control panel, trying to find the right switch for the lights, Serena wandered ahead. The main showroom was empty, dim and devoid. Tarps had been pushed up against the corners of the room, the area smelling like dust and freshly-dried paint. Serena scanned the space, her boots clacking and echoing as she walked through.

There was a single painting on the wall. In the darkness, it was impossible to see, though Serena walked close and squinted at it. Moments later, a spotlight came on from above, pointing down on the painting.

It was a Sylveon.

* * *

 **CommanderSolar asks:**

 **Serena, what is your favorite Pokemon?**

* * *

A flood of memories came back to Serena.

* * *

 _An exhausted, out of breath Serena tossed her hand up, her eyes sparkling with joy._

 _"Finished!"_

 _She was on a stage—an incredible stage, lit with warm lights and a wide, glossy floor to stand on—at the foot of a grand staircase and beneath a grand chandelier of warm, golden light. A fiery ring flowered from beneath, landing with one final step of Serena's sparkling red shoe, surrounding Serena and her fellow performers._

 _A simple red dress danced around Serena's legs, the bell-shaped skirt swinging loosely. Smoothed, pink ends finished the skirt, just above her black stockings. A large, beautiful bow adorned Serena's upper body, crowning the upper half of her body, popping against her naked, pale shoulders. Long, shimmering white gloves adorned her arms just past her elbows. Her face had been made, her cheeks made extra rosy by blush makeup and her eyes made to pop from sparkling eyeliner and eye shadow. A simple, light pink lipstick had been applied to her lips, barely discernible from her own skin._

 _By Serena's side, Braixen waved a wand magnificently, poised beside her like she was Serena's dance partner. The typical flickering flame on the end of her wand was a fiery, full orb that bloomed with life. A proud smile bore from her face, her eyes like wide, happy windows into her soul. Her lower legs had took a playful stance, matching the wide, graceful arcs that her arms had stretch out into._

 _Down by her feet, Pancham had skidded to the edge of the fiery ring, ending just short of where the bright eruption of energy ended in flames. He pumped both fists in air, grinning wide._

 _And then there was Sylveon._

 _Deep in the darkness beyond the edges of the stage, a trumpet sounded. The room that had once been booming, echoing with the sounds of the audio track to Serena's performance roared in the darkness. Thousands of voices raised in a shout, cheering proudly in the darkness. A few bright lights flashed in the dark, alluding to hidden figures in stadium seats as their camera's flashed. It caught Serena's attention, making her look through the darkness and try to decipher the shadowy shapes of individuals. She couldn't, even as a long spotlight passed over the hundreds of people, swirling and slashing through the pure, indecipherable blackness._

 _Though Serena was hypnotized, captured by the sights and sounds of a post-performance celebration, she looked back at Sylveon. Something seemed off._

 _An announcer's voice boomed through the speakers, taming the audience moments before more cheers erupted. From the wings of the stage, two more spotlights lit up and shone down through the hazy darkness, pointing at two doors in castle-like facades shortly before they opened. Miette and Nini stepped out, walking up to two platforms on the stage—blue for Miette, green for Nini._

 _Serena couldn't focus on what the announcer was staying. She looked up back at the grand staircase behind her, looking up at the elegant balcony where the announcer was speaking. Beside him, Aria stood, presiding over events from the center of the staircase like a strawberry-blonde patron saint._

 _Thousands of colorful wands lit up in the darkness of the crowds, all pointing up towards the stage. Colorful lights burst from the tips of the wand, passing through the darkness and floating up through the air, arcing before they flew down towards where the three performers were on the stage._

 _Serena wasn't paying attention to any of that. She instead watched, looking over at Sylveon._

 _Pink and white ribbons floated all around Sylveon, flowing gracefully through the air as if they were underwater. Her pure white fur glowed in the light of the pulsing, floating lights of purple, green and blue. The whole moment seemed to move in slow motion as Sylveon turned her head, looking back. Pure, glossy blue eyes looked back; Serena knew they were looking straight at her. The bow on her neck wavered gently, moving as smoothly as the ribbons around her._

 _Serena blinked her eyes. Sylveon was fading._

 _The pulsing orbs of light that floated through the air, moving towards their chosen candidate to vote for, moved all around Sylveon, her form being lost in the glow. Serena could see straight through her, seeing the glossy reflection of the stage and the dim outline of the crowd until eventually she couldn't see Sylveon at all._

 _Frozen with terror, Serena reached a hand out towards Sylveon, wanting to say something, but found herself unable to move. She was weak in the knees, and she suddenly fell forward, landing hard with no thought to the painful impact until after she had landed. Her gaze slowly lowered, traveling down in horror to the floor, almost as if she knew exactly what was on the stage before her._

 _It was a Pokeball—it was two halves of a Pokeball, snapped in two, covered in dirt and smeared with mud._

* * *

Serena screamed.


	34. Chapter 34

A work table had been set in the corner of the dim exhibit, covered in a plastic tarp. Used paint buckets with dried paint were stacked on the table, along with used paint trays and a few brushes. In a cleared corner, a tall, dark green bottle of sparkling apple cider had been set. Zincha stood over the table, topping off one of two tall glass flutes with the fizzling drink, humming quietly to himself.

As he took the glasses in his hands, he sauntered over across the dark exhibit, coming over to the brightly lit area where the painting had been hung on the walls, and where Serena was standing.

"I figured we could have a bit of a toast—our own private viewing party of this rare masterpiece. It'd be a good way to celebrate this new addition," said Zincha, seeming rather proud of himself, blind to Serena's reaction. "And to that, of course, we can drink—non-alcoholic, of course. I think we can—"

Serena screamed.

Snapped from his proud stupor, Zincha stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes opening wide. He dropped the glass flutes in his startled reaction. The glass exploded on the smooth floors seconds later.

* * *

Clemont stopped. He had been walking along the length of an isolated exhibit, lined with portraits of many unique Mega Evolutions captured on small, 5"x5" canvases, but something made him stop completely. He turned his head, hearing a familiar sound, looking deeply concerned.

It was Serena.

* * *

Clemont rapidly knocked on the door again, turning his head quickly and looking down each end of the empty art halls. His look of worry grew the more he realized he was alone. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, his eyes shrinking back as his face grew pale.

As Clemont raised his fist to knock on the door once again, the door suddenly opened back into the darkness of the closed exhibit. The suddenness made Clemont lurch back, taking a step and looking into the darkened corner of the opening. Zincha's head poked through, looking deeply concerned beneath his thin glasses, looking down at Clemont. Without a word, he stepped back into the dark of the hall behind the door, opening the door wider.

The footsteps of Clemont's sneakers echoed silently through the smooth room, his steps careful and measured as he entered the main area. Looking back, he saw that Zincha had stayed behind and lingered by the table set in the corner. He pressed on, passing around the central column of the showroom. Down on the floor, he saw the shattered glass and the puddle of apple cider, the last few bubbles finally popping beneath the yellowy surface.

Serena was kneeling, visible just behind the main column. She had slumped forward, looking defeated before the large portrait. Her legs had slumped out beside her, sprawled in defeat. She held her head in a hand, gently weeping into it, her hair hanging down around her head.

Though Clemont was paying attention to Serena down on the floor, he took a few steps forward, the painting catching his attention. He gasped, his eyes widening.

The painting wasn't anything extravagant. It was a large, vertical canvas with a traditional, antique gold frame. A Sylveon took up the center, painted with oils and lit brightly. She was sitting on an area that had been set with a deep, dark green cloth, providing a background that she was dramatically lit on. Despite it's age, the colors had held vibrantly, with lots of detail rendered in the eyes and the face, the fur on the front of its chest and the surrounding details of her paws. The ribbons that drifted all around her looked more like silk, shimmering and glowing with energy. The overexposed light made her fur seem to glow.

Though Clemont could tell it wasn't Serena's Sylveon, it was awfully close.

When Clemont looked back, Serena was looking up at him, tears in her eyes.

* * *

"I'm sorry... I'm not quite sure I understand..."

Clemont rested with his back against the wall, his arms by his side. His head hung down, looking down at the floor, looking down at his sneakers. By his side, there was a sign that read 'Women', just before the entrance to a bathroom.

Raising his head, he looked up at Zincha, meeting a confused look of his.

"You said... You know what's going on...? Why Serena is acting in such a way...?" asked Zincha.

Clemont nodded silently, swallowing hard. "Yeah..."

* * *

"Oh Clemont..." Serena sniffled, dabbing just beneath her eye with a tissue.

Clemont looked on worryingly, hunched over as he sat beside her on the bench. He cradled a box of tissues in his lap. He listened to her cry quietly, looking out into the street as the sun crossed into the beginnings into the afternoon. The street was quiet, largely devoid of people, close by to the museum and closer to a small shop, just before a bridge that overlooked a forest.

Down by Serena's feet, Pancham was looking up, deeply worried for Serena. A few paces back, Bunnelby was looking up at her too, sitting awkwardly on the sidewalk.

Serena wadded up the tissue in her hand, sniffling quietly and dropping it in the trash bin beside the bench, mindful of where it fell. She immediately reached for a tissue and used it to dab beneath her nose, before folding it up and blowing hard.

"Serena... I know you're upset and... And I know this is all a sensitive topic... But... Let's just talk about this for a second..."

"Bunnel..."

"Pan...!"

Serena wadded up the tissue, throwing it away. She sighed deeply, trying to hold her composure.

"I... I need your help... We need to try and save Sylveon... Together..."

Clemont's whole face turned pale.


	35. Chapter 35

Above the tall, Jovian-styled museum building, up over the white-crowned ledge of the roof, three sets of binoculars stared down at the scene unfolding just down the street from where they were. All three binoculars belong to a familiar set of heads—two human, one Meowth.

"Do you think the twerp knows about a meeting like this? Do you think he even gave twerpette permission for this little meet-up?" asked Jessie. Her bright red lips chewed silently, her brow low and disapproving.

"Something is most certainly illicit about this. This is some high-profile drama for some children," said James.

"Jeez, she cries a lot," said Meowth.

Where Clemont and Serena were on the bench, they quickly got up, Clemont looking at either side of road before crossing. He looked back to Serena, beckoning her to come close. They both scurried across the street, heading over towards a clearing at the corner of an intersection. A brick-paved clearing took up a triangular space on the corner of an intersection, with benches and large, trimmed tropiaries taking up the center.

Clemont set his backpack down, laying it flat on it's back on the smooth brick. As he kneeled down, he unzipped a fabric pocket, flipping it down like a panel and revealing a smooth, metallic surface. He pressed in on the top, making the metal panel pop out on a metallic hinge, the glowing numbers of a keypad appearing on the surface. He quickly typed in a code. Immediately, a set of legs sprouted out, the large curved top of his backpack popping open as a platform rose from the middle, reaching up a few feet before expanding into a lengthwise table. Several shelves appeared, sealed storage containers stacking on shelves as well as various lab equipment.

Standing up, Clemont positioned himself in front of his portable workbench. He slid open a panel on the metal surface, opening up a computer console stored inside, starting it up. In one of the drawers on the stacked work bench, he opened it up and slid out a small bag.

Jessie, James and Meowth all watched from the rooftops, watching Clemont work at the portable workbench, showing something to Serena and talking, their conversation hidden by distance. They all looked at each other, confused.

"It seems a dorky chemistry set is the way to her heart, who knew?" quipped James, focusing his binoculars.

Jessie slowly lowered her binoculars. Something seemed off about what was happening.

* * *

Serena fidgeted by Clemont's side, seeing him setup various pieces of equipment and make himself at home in the middle of the clearing. She had stopped crying moments earlier, now looking on with concern with red, puffy eyes.

"You... You still have it, don't you...?"

Clemont reached for the sealed container by his side. When he opened it up, he lifted out a small, plastic bag, holding it up for Serena to see. He looked at the bag too, his expression faltering. It was just as bad as he had remembered, making his heart sink.

Serena gasped quietly, coming alongside him to see the bag.

In the bag were two halves of a Pokeball, the hinge destroyed. Though they had been cleaned, there were faint traces of mud on the surface of the Pokeball shells, clear signs of damage from the incident. The insides were lined with chrome-like metal, shiny slats and channels designed towards a central, capturing needle in the center.

Choking up quietly, Serena lowered her head slowly. She turned, leaning against Clemont's shoulder, weeping again. Reaching for his arm, she squeezed it tightly, burying her head into his shoulder deeper.

Clemont slowly set the bag back on the workbench. He stared down at a display on the terminal computer, a window showing a graphical scan of the insides where Sylveon was asleep.

* * *

"Well, I guesses smawty here didn't do's so hot with twerpette. Doesn't look like's there's much more to see's here," said Meowth.

"I suppose we could go hunt out Pikachu now," said James.

James held a black backpack. He threw his binoculars in, waiting for Meowth and watching as he struggled to get the strap for the binoculars up over his melon-shaped head. Once both were in, he zipped the backpack up over his shoulders, getting himself up and crossing the length of the roof towards a raised fire escape ladder.

Though Jessie got up to follow, she waited at the roof's edge, continuing to gaze down at where Serena and Clemont were hundreds of feet away, across the street and in the miniature park space. She hesitated, staring down at the bag that lingered on the portable workbench. She silently connected dots in her head.

* * *

Clemont sighed. He shook his head gently, stepping away from Serena's side, heading over towards the bench and throwing the bag back in a drawer. He powered down the computer terminal.

"Serena, we need an expert to fix this. I've... I've got a few ideas," he said. He gave a passing glance over his equipment, looking at the bag and the turning graphical representation of Sylveon on the screen. "I... I just want to be safe... And I know someone who can really help us."

Wiping away a few tears with her fingers, Serena gently raised her head to look up at Clemont, meeting with his face. She searched him, considering what he was saying.

"Clemont... You promise this person is safe...?"

Clemont smiled. He nodded, forcing his eyes shut. "Yes, I guarantee it. She's the best."

Serena still looked skeptical, despite Clemont's glowing endorsement. "How do you know this person...? Who is she...?"

"Well... Let's just say that Ash isn't going to be too happy that I'm ruining this surprise."


	36. Chapter 36

At the end of a sloping brick road, an older looking shop stood, looking like it was out of a fairytale book. The walls were smooth and made of white adobe, cobblestone rocks sticking out from the plain surface in cracked and exposed areas. Dark wood supports helped hold the upper half of the building, braced knots of wood sticking out from beneath the wooden beams they supported and diagonal, crossed beams bracing different walls. The square, old glass windows had wooden planters beneath them, filled with colorful, blooming flowers. The roof was rounded and looked like it was made of hay.

Above the rounded, stone-lined archway that lead into the building, a sign had been posted on a brass arm, made of wood and with painted letters on it. It read 'Desi's Boutique'.

A bell gently chimed inside the shop as Clemont opened the door, pushing the old wooden door wide open, entering into the dimly lit space. As his gaze wandered in the shop, searching through the darkness, he held the door open for Serena, inviting her inside.

The smell of burnt candle wax filled the space, lingering with the sawdust smell of the wood supports. Black metal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, with tall white candlesticks in the different holsters, all flaming and flickering brightly, lighting the space. Candles had been lit in corners of the room, the main shop and behind the counter, providing ample light for the space. Large round wooden tables had been setup in the shop floor, covered in folded fashion items with signs and prices. There were tall bins with different compartments on top, showcasing various jewelry beside a turning rack. Tall mirrors had been set at the ends of shelves of shoe boxes, facing tall shelves set in the walls with folded clothes on them.

Serena was hypnotized by all the fashion in the space, almost completely forgetting why she had come in the first place. Her eyes glowed with the dresses that had been put on large, fabric mannequins, all the different kinds of fashionable shoes set in array beneath the tables the models stood on. In the background, a wonderful, whimsical kind of music played, adding to the fantasy atmosphere.

"Hiii~! I'm coming, sorry~!"

Clemont looked back over towards the main counter, hearing a squeaky feminine voice in the back of the shop, coupled with the sound of a few boxes clattering together. When he looked back, he met with a confused gaze from Serena.

"Is this who you were talking about?" asked Serena.

Before Clemont could answer, the girl in question appeared behind the counter, racing out from a corner of the shop. She caught her breath, her cheeks glowing with activity as she stood behind the counter, looking over at Serena and Clemont. She lifted a small door from the end of the counter, and she came around to where the two of them were.

She was young, likely early twenties, with brunette hair that didn't go longer than her jaw, wavy from efforts to smooth it but very curly at the ends. Two pigtails had been pinned up on either side of her head, blending with the normal length of her hair. Above her infectious smile, she had a pair of tiny black paw prints painted above her cheeks with what looked like mascara. She wore a fluffed, airy blouse with sleeves she had folded up to her elbows, worn beneath a deep maroon apron with simple hemming supplies kept in a pocket over the chest. She wore a simple black skirt beneath, paired with a chocolate-colored pair of stockings and simple black flats.

"Goodness, hello~!" said the young lady.

"Hi there!" Serena beamed. "It's nice to meet you, miss—"

Serena's eyes landed on her tag. It read 'Desiree-U'.

"Oh gosh sweetie, you don't have to call me 'miss', no matter how flattering it sounds~! You can just call me Desi!"

Serena felt more at ease than she had been when she entered at first. When Desi put her hand out to meet Serena's, she took it, shaking her hand lightly. Before she could even think, Desi was pulling her into her arms for a hug, squeezing the life out of her. All of the air came out of Serena in one big gasp, her pink fedora popping off of her head from the force.

Clemont rubbed the back of his head with his hands, watching as Desi nearly leaped at her, hopping as she hugged her. In the corner of his eye, he watched as a Glameow crawled out from the behind the counter, her long spindly legs helping her glide across the floor. As Glameow entered the group gathering, Clemont looked down from beneath him as he saw Bunnelby come out from behind, making himself known from where he had been hiding that whole time. Looking back to his side, he saw that Pancham had stuck his head under one of the racks of dresses, his head tangled between two.

When Serena had finally gotten herself free, she had to stumble back a step, nearly tripping over her fallen hat. Before she could reach down and scoop it up, Desi was handing it back up to her, giving Serena the chance to reluctantly take it and put it on her head.

Once Desi had gotten the shoe back on that had apparently fallen off, she took a step back, performing an elegant curtsy. Her Glameow wandered in front of her legs, her spring-shaped tail stretching tall.

"Ahh~! Goodness me, where are my manners? I am Desireenya, and this is my shop, Desi's Boutique! I make wonderful, fairytale-inspired fashion and the most beautiful and pretty dresses, aha~! At least I try to, anyway—I always try my hardest to make cute, adorable things."

"It's nice to meet you, Desi!" Serena smiled warmly.

"It's just me and my lovely Glameow Francesca here, aha~" said Desi. "And of course, my sister, the lovely Rei~!"

Behind the counter, visible from just behind the doorway, a young, androgynous-looking girl lounged in a sleeping bag. She wore a Team Magma hoodie, the hood drawn over her head with her long, boyish black hair sticking out and her hands stuffed into the front pockets. She slept, just beside a cup half-full of ramen noodles and a particularly lewd manga book. Above her, a paper sign had been tacked to the shelf, reading 'TheCaptainRei 's corner'.

"Would you like to try something on? Perhaps check out some of our selections? I must say you look quite cute yourself, aha~" Desi giggled.

"Actually, we're here for... Um..." Serena lost the words in the middle of her sentence, looking to Clemont to follow up.

Clemont cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses. "We're actually here to see a guest of yours. A friend of ours is here," he said.

At this, Desi gasped audibly, her eyes lighting up. She cupped her mouth with her hands, giggling softly, making Clemont and Serena look at each other in confusion.

"You mean to say you're friends with the Sinnoh Champion herself~? Oh my, she did say she would be having some very important friends over, or at least she would be visiting with them~" said Desi. "She is here right now, actually, enjoying the study~! Would you like to come see her~?"

Though Clemont was beaming, happy to see that Desi knew who he was talking about, Serena still looked confused. At Desi's words, she seemed even more confused. She looked up at the both of them, searching for answers in their mutual expressions.

"Wait... The Sinnoh Champion... Is that who you wanted to see?" asked Serena, looking over at Clemont, directing her question at him. "It's Cynthia... Right? Cynthia is here? From Sinnoh?"

"What? Cynthia? Oh goodness, she would be someone to meet, wouldn't she~? Aha~" Desi giggled. "From what I've heard, Cynthia is in the northern parts of Costa Nova, up at some big and fancy resort where she's taking part in a conference. It's something on mythologies, I hear~ Her fashion sense is impeccable, I hope she stops through~! It's her assistant who is staying with us, the Sinnoh Champion!"

"There's a new Sinnoh Champion...?" Serena asked, quietly. As she turned her head, her question was answered.

A tall girl entered from the end of the shop, just slightly older than Serena, stepping through a series of displays in the main floor. Something about her looked awfully familiar to Serena, seeming more apparent as she got closer. She wore pink boots, paired with a pink skirt and a simple, slim black tank top and a red scarf around her neck. She wore a white beanie, with smooth, naturally blue hair she had cut short. A pair of smart-looking glasses adorned her, making her bright blue eyes pop.

Serena knew exactly who it was.

"Dawn..."


	37. Chapter 37

"Serena, hi! It's so good to finally meet you!"

Serena had to blink. She wasn't quite sure to make of the scene in front of her.

Choosing to shake off the surprise, she moved in towards Dawn when she approached. She held her hand out to shake Dawn's hand, but Dawn raised her hand instead, holding it high over her head. She looked up at the bare-faced palm, then back at Dawn's face and her waiting grin, looking more confused than ever.

"Oops! Sorry, old habits die hard. Ash and I used to always do hi-fives!"

* * *

A small table had been set in the next room over from the shop—looking more like a living room than public space. Several small tables had been set elegantly with the same fairytale flair that the whole of the boutique had. A tall hearth had been constructed of stone with logs filling the cavernous insides, a flaming pyre glowing beneath the iron mesh. Tall paintings had been hung with inspiration taken from fantasy and myth, with various legends appearing on the walls.

Rei had gotten up from the beanbag in the back corner of the boutique, still looking tired and bored. She had put on a frilly maid's apron over her red Magma hoodie, with a black bonnet tied closely to her head with her lengthy black bangs swept over her brow. She held a tall, frosty pitcher of milk, pouring glasses for the three people seated at the chair.

Desi set a plate of glazed tea cakes in the center, all in pastel colors and with cute designs. With the food set, small plates set in front of all three guests, she scurried over to her sister's side, taking her by the arm and hurrying her out of the space, heading to a large set of tall sliding doors and sneaking behind them with Rei in tow.

"So, Clemont tells me you're very serious about training for Showcases!" said Dawn, speaking up as she set a few of the tiny cakes on her plate.

"Yeah! It's been a dream of mine..." said Serena, seeming somewhat distracted. Though she watched Dawn as she set the miniature confections on the table, eyeing a few of the ones on the large platter herself, she couldn't help but watch as Clemont quickly scooped up a few of the cakes, only to set his plate down on the floor, where Bunnelby and Pancham were.

Dawn patted her lips with the end of a napkin as she chewed, folding it over and setting it back on her lap. Covering her mouth, she swallowed. "That's awesome! It's a great dream to have," said Dawn. "I've been fairly busy these past few months, but when I've gotten the chance I've done my best to watch the Showcases live on TV. It's hard to find them on channels in Sinnoh, but I've certainly done my best to find them when I've had the time."

"Yeah," Serena smiled, weakly. "I hear you were rather good with your Showcases in Sinnoh, too!"

Dawn laughed softly. "Yes! Contests are fun. I think I did pretty good myself."

A wave of embarrassment washed over Serena, making her cheeks fresh and bright. She did her best to shake it off, swallowing, forcing a tea cake into her mouth, eating it silently.

"So, Clemont," said Dawn, turning her attention over to him from across the table, inadvertently catching him sneaking more of the tea cakes to the Pokemon. "I know I've been a tad late with my letter, but...?" she made a gesture over towards Serena. She cupped her mouth, disguising the conversation between herself and Clemont, hiding it from Serena. "Don't you remember...? The surprise...?"

It took Clemont a moment to connect the dots. He swallowed the bite he had, collecting himself quickly. "The surprise...!" said Clemont. "Yes... I hadn't forgotten... I was totally planning on surprising Serena! Just... Something else came up, actually... Something that we need your help with..."

Dawn gave a confused look. "What is it?"

* * *

 _Backstage, in the tall, thin passageways behind the main show floor, between the back of the large, elegant Showcase sets and the thick black walls of the auditorium's back, small areas for getting ready had been prepared. The tiny space echoed with the booming, echoing and distant sounds of the Showcase, the announcer making more statements to the crowd._

 _Serena sat in a small folding chair, hunched over. She had removed the shiny red shoes, having set them to the side, letting her sore feet rest on the floor. By her side, Braixen was hungrily eating from a cart of Pokepuffs that had been provided, the note that came with them long tossed to the side. Pancham was punching the cart, making loud cries to get Braixen's attention, ready for more Pokepuffs that he couldn't reach._

 _By Serena's side, Sylveon pawed at her legs, getting her attention to make a tiny mewling sound, smiling affectionately. It broke Serena from her hypnotic staring, reaching down to rub her head._

 _It took only a few seconds to return to her staring state. She was looking over at the far end of the backstage area, past the other performers who had already dressed down or were in the middle of some other activity, to exactly one person in the backstage area._

 _Palermo._

 _Serena continued to stare at her, watching as she chatted with someone who looked like they were in charge of something important with the Showcases. She watched every little movement of hers, not looking on with annoyance or contempt but with curiosity. Perhaps Palermo might give some secret away, some detail about her behavior that would help Serena understand her._

 _"Serena, congratulations on a close round!"_

 _Snapped from her stupor again, Serena looked back up over her shoulder. Aria was standing by her side, looking as heavenly as she had when she had been presiding over the Showcase moments earlier. She was looking down at Serena, her smile beaming brightly, looking tired from the long day of events. As she came around to Serena's side, placing a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, she broke the concentration that Braixen and Pancham had on the tray of Pokepuffs. Sylveon's blank eyes stared up, enthralled._

 _"Oh...! W-Wow...!" Serena seemed to stumbled through even putting her sentences together, her words slipping out of reach. "Thank you, Aria...! You were incredible as always! You really deserved the victory...!"_

 _"Serena, please, I am proud to call you a rival. Being Kalos Queen feels like more of an accomplishment when I have competition like you to keep me on my toes."_

 _A silence fell over Serena. Though she was deeply embarrassed by the fact she had nothing more to say, it didn't show. She looked more solemn than anything._

 _It wasn't an awkward silence. Aria took it on herself to come around the chair, away from Serena's side and over in front of her. She squatted, bringing herself to eye level with Serena's sitting posture. As Pancham came to her side, hugging against her skirt, she combed her fingers and held his cheek, her thumb grazing beneath his black ear. When Sylveon came around to her side, brushing up against her leg, she ran a hand over her shrinking belly, feeling Sylveon respond like a cat._

 _"Serena, I want us to have the chance to talk. It might be awhile before we see each other, and I don't want to only see you when we are in competition," said Aria. She looked extra earnest in her words._

 _Serena, thinking she had been caught off-guard moments before, was now far more shocked or surprised than she had been earlier. "O-Okay..." Serena said, her own honesty blinding._

 _"Please, let's meet for dinner tonight, or even coffee. I know a quiet spot where we can—"_

 _Aria was cut off. She paused, stopping herself mid-sentence, giving a blank look._

 _As Serena listened, waiting on Aria's next word, concern rose through her features. She realized something was wrong. As she opened her mouth, about to ask if everything okay, Aria suddenly coughed hard. She covered her mouth with a gloved fist, coughing into the pure white gloves she had worn during her final performance. Holding her fist to her mouth, she paused in the middle of coughing. Serena heard a watery swallowing noise, something that seemed really off._

 _Aria gave a light cough, shaking off the feeling. She went to speak again._

 _"I'm... Sorry... I don't know what came over me..." Aria said, sheepishly._

 _"No worries, it happens to the best—"_

 _Serena froze. So did Aria._

 _They were both looking at Aria's glove. It had a deep, bright red blood stain in the space where she had coughed._

* * *

From Clemont's pocket, inside the opening of his jumpsuit, he produced a bag. He placed the clear, lumpy bag on the table, scooting it over towards where Dawn was.

Dawn took the corner of the bag, scooting it in front of her. She lifted the corner lightly, tipping the clear surface up and moving it out of the glare of sunlight. She could see the contents inside, knowing instantly what was wrong. Her brow furrowed, her lips twisting up as she looked at the two halves of the split Pokeball, seeing the exposed electronic internals.

"Oh my..." said Dawn, looking up at Serena, meeting her worried look.


	38. Chapter 38

A loud tearing sound came from Clemont's notebook. He set the freed scrap of lined notebook paper on the table, laying it flat, kneeling before the edge of the table and taking the cap off of a marker. On either side of him, Dawn and Serena scooted in closer, looking over his shoulders.

Clemont drew a large circle, and then a smaller circle inside of it. He drew a stick figure that was supposed to look like Sylveon, but looked more like a small horse.

"When you capture a Pokemon in a ball, you aren't actually physically storing them inside, you are storing them digitally. A digital 'image' is stored inside the memory banks of the ball, with every little biometric detail inside and converted to code," said Clemont. "The world inside the Pokeball is vastly different from the world outside the Pokeball, and so we need something to convert it."

Clemont then drew a shape that looked like a cork, starting at the outermost edge of the inner circle and ending at the edge closest to it on the larger circle.

"This is the device that converts a digital Pokemon to a real Pokemon and vice-versa," said Clemont. "It's called the aperture."

"It's like a bridge," said Dawn, looking over at Serena.

"Right," said Clemont. "It knows how to convert the Pokemon into data, so therefore it can convert it back into a real world Pokemon."

Serena nodded, giving a look of understanding.

"So, the good news with Sylveon is that her data is still intact. Her 'image' is still being stored, even if it's been split into two halves," said Clemont.

"The bad news is that we've lost the aperture, and then we don't have a way of getting Sylveon out."

"Well," said Serena, visibly trying her best to make sense of the science. "Then... Can't we just use a new aperture...? We just make a new pathway...?"

"It's not that simple," said Clemont. "The aperture creates it's own algorithm for converting that exact Pokemon back into it's natural state—on the fly, more or less—meaning that code is unique. With biometric data that complicated, you can't just guess what the code was. Most computers aren't advanced enough to do it. It's like encrypting a hard drive and losing the password. It's like... It's like trying to play music without headphones out of a MP3 player. Or... Or like trying to read a book without knowing what language it's in."

Serena sat herself back in her chair, no longer interested in Clemont's drawing. Her posture slumped, looking more dejected than she had previously.

"Serena, there are people smart enough out there to fix broken Pokeballs. Every other Pokemon Center out there has a specialist that can do something like this... I know that Clemont's really smart and really good with this sort of thing, but I definitely understand why he's hesitant to try and figure out how to get Sylveon out of there," said Dawn.

Serena didn't respond. She continued to sit in her chair, looking ahead.

Dawn didn't let up. She leaned in from where she was sitting, looking closely at Serena, trying to get some kind of response from her.

"Serena... I know that fixing something like this is expensive... But I also know you've got Clemont roped up in this somehow... Why...? What happened...?"

* * *

 _"Vielleterre Town..." Clemont repeated to himself, reading the screen of the computer. He adjusted his glasses, focusing on the fuzzy, old monitor._

 _The sun was setting outside, tall streaks of fading sunlight coming in through the tall windows of the Pokemon Center. The lights inside the center were incredibly bright, with pulsing monitors giving detailed information on the city and the facilities of the center. Only a few people were in the main waiting area, waiting on their Pokemon at the front counter, while Nurse Joys all worked diligently on ensuring the safe healing of Pokemon._

 _In the corner of the center, where computer terminals had been setup in small alcoves and between dividers, Serena and Clemont were largely alone. A man had fallen asleep at a terminal nearby with his headphones in, leaving Serena and Clemont the only ones to pay attention to the monitor._

 _On the terminal's screen, a map was shown, of an area of Kalos far east, near the border of another region of the world. It straddled the edge of a mountain range beside it, right at the edge where the mountain range ended and the new region began._

 _"I've never heard of that place before..." said Serena, quietly. She held Pancham in her lap, watching Clemont's reaction as he stared at the point on the digital map. "Is it far...?"_

 _"It's very far..." said Clemont. "I've never been there myself, but my dad told me about it."_

 _"What's it like...?" asked Serena._

 _"It's... It's dangerous..." said Clemont. "He only told me so that we wouldn't go there when we were traveling. It's not a place anyone should go to."_

 _"Why...?"_

 _Using the mouse, Clemont scooted the map just up, showing the region above Kalos, the region that Vielleterre Town bordered. It was just as big as Kalos, but with fewer towns and cities. They were all clustered towards the center of the region._

 _"Because... Well... It's so close to our neighbor region, 'Koros'."_

 _Though Serena could pick up the deep sense of worry in Clemont's voice, she couldn't figure out where it came from. The more she stared at the map, the less answers she came up with. She racked her brain, searching for a reason why he would react in such a way._

 _"Why is Koros such a dangerous place...?"_

 _"Serena, a couple decades ago there was a big war, and Koros invaded and took over Kalos. We had some help from a few other regions and we pushed them out eventually, but it really hurt us both after the war. Kalos recovered, but Koros didn't. Koros just isn't really a safe place, it's not really... Civilized."_

 _"But... Vielleterre Town is still Kalos... It's safe, right...?" asked Serena._

 _"Vielleterre Town is where everyone tries to get into Kalos. It's still safer than Koros, but there's a lot of shady things going on down there... It's... I wouldn't recommend traveling by yourself, Serena."_

 _Serena shook her head. "That can't be right... Why would Aria want to meet there? That doesn't make any sense at all."_

 _"I don't know... But I really would skip this one. See if you can't meet in Lumiose City, there are lots of great restaurants here!"_

 _Helping Pancham down off her lap, setting him down on the floor, Serena got to her feet. She scooted the chair in back to a desk space beside the one Clemont was at. Taking her bag from the ground, she took a deep sigh, looking back at the map._

 _"I have to go, Clemont... Showcases are my dream, and Aria is my key to that dream..." she said, finally._

 _Clemont nearly fainted. He got up, abruptly, nearly stepping on Bunnelby. "Serena, you can't do that! I know I won't feel good about it, and I know Ash won't either!"_

 _Serena grabbed Clemont's arm suddenly, making him look her in the eye._

 _"Don't tell Ash."_


	39. Chapter 39

The whole train car swayed as it raced along the tracks. The dim lights of the interior flickered with each rattling bounce and each hop of the wheel, making the whole inside seem like it was floating.

Serena was jostled awake in her seat. Her head had been resting against the cool surface of the window, her blonde hair matted against the surface. As she straightened herself up, letting her eyes adjust to the outside world, she stretched and yawned, letting her body adjust to the cramped fetal-like position she had been in. The warm, itchy fabric of the seat pressed against her dress, feeling somewhat familiar and homely.

Outside the window, the dry world of Eastern Kalos passed by, with the sun mostly below the horizon. The sky was a cool, darkening blue, a thin band of blue sky at the ends of the horizon. The tall black mass of mountains obscured the horizon, with little light to detail any of their rocky faces. Far beyond, where dark clouds had gathered over distant regions of the flattened valley, dark streaks and a dim haze indicated rain. The dry, tan earth with it's various, sparse grasses had cracked, with various little desert Pokemon wandering through the expanse.

Feeling her mouth had turned dry from the sudden change in environment, she reached down for a water bottle, taking it and pressing the nozzle to her lips. As she drank the plastic-tinged water, she looked out over the horizon, seeing a collection of lights at the base of the last mountain, a field scattered through the darkness.

It was Vielleterre Town.

* * *

The station was showing signs of age. The color had faded from the tile on the walls and on the floor, with many of the tiles cracked or removed. The paint was peeling on many of the white concrete walls, revealing the gray structures beneath. Clocks that hadn't been removed from their hanging hub in the ceiling had been smashed in, not been used in decades. The few ads that had been plastered on—some not even in Kalosian—were covered in the foulest of graffiti, with words Serena hadn't even heard of, even though they were in Kalosian. Homeless people gathered beneath posters, resting with their things at the base of the wall. People with nothing to do wandered through the halls, hoodies drawn tall over their heads with faces hidden from sight.

Serena drew her bag closer to her, her nose wrinkling with the smell of fish and other bodily fluids. Her red vest had been replaced with a thick red jacket she had worn in the snow. She walked at a quick, brisk pace, avoiding the eye contact she had felt through the room, leading herself into the main area of the station.

"Serena!"

Serena whipped her head around, nearly scared to death by the voice. When she looked over, searching through the scattered people, she suddenly spotted who it was.

Aria was standing in the terminal, mildly disguised, wearing a brown leather jacket the same shade as her boots. A long gray scarf adorned her neck, matching her gray hat and her black glasses. Her strawberry-blonde hair had been hidden, pinned up beneath the hat. Perched on her shoulder, her Vivillion balanced herself on tiny, nearly invisible legs, the vibrancy of her colors turned down significantly and repressed to fit with the drab surroundings.

"Oh goodness, Aria! I'm so glad to see you…!" Serena exclaimed, realizing how much of her discomfort she revealed. She hurried up to her, facing her.

Aria laughed quietly, her Vivillion chirping on her shoulder with her. "Come on! I've dragged you out all this way, don't let me keep you any longer!"

* * *

A tall, brass-colored tower stood among the many tall and aging towers in the heart of Vielleterre Town. Old lights lit the outside of the structure, running up along it like the lights that led a runway. The dark mass of the mountains blocked out the blue of the night, being completely devoid of any sparkling stars.

The end of the elevator shaft stood in the center of the tower's top floor, the large wheels above it turning with a gentle creaking as it's insides spooled up with elevator cable. Just above the mesh metal doors, a dial turned, indicating which of the twenty floors the elevator was currently on.

The greenish interior of the elevator slowly rose from the bottom of the elevator door. Only one passenger was inside: Serena.

A small chime played when the elevator came to a stop. The greenish light inside the room turned red, a metal arm on the mesh metal door pulling it to the side, opening up the small elevator chamber to the main floor of the tower, giving Serena the chance to walk out. She only made it a few steps from the elevator and into the dark interior before she stopped, realizing she had no idea where to go.

As Serena's head panned, searching through the dark and empty floor of the tower, Serena saw a wide set of windows, glowing with the deep blue of the night sky. Among the brilliant, sparkling stars that dotted the sky, a series of dark silhouettes stood at the foot of the windows, making for a unique and unusual scene that caught her attention. Her head craned over, her footsteps slowing as she had started to approach but chose to view from afar.

A slender, elegant female figure sat on a lounge chair that faced the windows—by a sliver of reddish hair that Serena could see, she knew it was Aria—being tended to by a taller, older woman who stood by her side. A table had been set, with the outlines of bottles and glasses, set for two beside an empty, identical chair. Directly at Aria's side, a tall metal post—looking like it was on a set of wheels—had been set with a clear plastic bag on top, filled with a strange glossy liquid. A thin tube ran from the bottom of the bag, snaking down the metal post and leading to Aria. Looking closer, Serena could see that the woman was tending to Aria's arm.

A conversation was taking place, something that Serena couldn't hear. Aria was giving instructions to the woman, and in moments the woman had finished tending to her arm, taking the tube that had ran to her arm and hanging it over the metal post, taking the post and scooting it along the floor towards the darkness away from the window, leaving just Aria.

As Serena approached, she saw that Aria had largely changed out of her street clothes. Her brown boots stood beside the chair, her jacket folded up beside the boots and her scarf atop it. Though Serena saw a Pokeball resting up against the boots, she saw Vivillion perched up against the heights of the tall windows.

"Serena! I'm glad you could give us a moment," said Aria, smiling warmly.

"No worries," Serena said, coming alongside the set chairs, looking over the setup. Two plates with an incredibly lavish dinner had been set on the table, prepared for the two of them.

Aria beamed, her features visible in the moonlight. "I figured having some new clothes to try on would help pass the time. All courtesy of Palermo, of course."

As she sat herself down in the lounge chair, the mention of Palermo's name was enough to make Serena cringe. It made her hesitate as she was sitting down, something she realized too late she was making apparent. She finished sitting herself down, sitting down in the chair, laying back on the lowered length of the backrest, her legs sprawling out over the sloping lower half. The moonlight coming through the window had shone over Serena's figure, revealing the outfit that had been assembled for her: mint, deep green pants, a light pink blouse beneath a red sweater with the sleeves rolled up.

When Serena looked back, Aria was meeting her with a curious look. Serena's cheeks turned bright pink, a nervous gulp sounding forcibly repressed from her. She straightened herself against the chair, looking nervously down at her feet.

"Serena, is everything fine?"

As Serena contemplated her words, she saw a light flare in the corner of her vision. Aria was holding a match, pinched between her slender fingers, a bright flickering flame on the end of it. She lowered it into a large glass vase, lighting the candle held within. As she shook the flame out, lifting her hand out quickly, the light inside expanded brightly, lighting the smooth glassy surface of the vase. A thin wisp of black smoke escaped out of the topmost opening, coupled with the burning smell of candle wax.

"Serena… Is there something wrong…? Something with Palermo…?"

Aria was looking up at Serena from the candle, her features aglow as the candlelight bathed her face in warm light, flickering softly. Through the intensity of the sharp, dramatized light, Serena could see the extra amounts of wear on her face that she hadn't seen before. It took a moment for Serena to realize that Aria wasn't wearing any makeup, and that realization drew her to her cheeks, where she saw for the first time that Aria had freckles. It wasn't a light amount of freckles, it was a heavy spread—a spread that reached from the edges of her cheekbones and up over her nose, dense and orange.

It took Serena a moment to move past that realization, instead focusing on what she herself had to say. She looked down, looking past Aria as she considered everything she was feeling.

"Why does Palermo take an interest in me? I mean, I thought I understood… But everyday I realize a little more that I really don't understand, at all..."

In her hands, Aria held a smooth glass bottle, somewhat alien and somewhat fashionable looking. She raised the edge of it towards a set of tall glasses, pouring into the both of them pure, clean water.

"What makes you ask a question like that?" asked Aria. "You don't think you're any less a performer since you didn't become Kalos Queen, do you?"

"Not that…" said Serena. She took the glass in her hands, cradling it gently. At Aria's prompting, she took a sip, feeling the pure, cold water enter her system. It was clean, tasting somewhat unusual because of it. "I..." she continued. "I guess I'm not sure why she should worry about someone like me when she has someone like you..."

Aria finished taking a drink from her glass, looking up in surprise at Serena. She took another sip, setting the glass and sitting herself upright, looking genuinely shocked.

"Why wouldn't she? Why should she hedge her bets on one performer, even if she does well repeatedly? It's wise for her to maintain a wide array of options. It makes sense for her to maintain a wide portfolio of performers who she has helped rise through the ranks, it helps build her own reputation and name. I'm certainly not the first performer she's worked with, and certainly not the first of one of her performers to become Kalos Queen," said Aria. She let out a small giggle. "Goodness Serena, you speak of Palermo like she's my handler."

Serena forced herself to smile. Aria's sense of humor brought her some gladness—genuine gladness—and she was grateful for it.

When Serena looked up to Aria, she saw a figure approach from the shadows of Aria's side. The woman had returned, someone who Serena had never seen before. Though she was dressed in a simple lab coat, her hair done up in a messy bun on top of her head and a thick set of glasses, she didn't seem that out of place in such a solitary location, somewhat blending in despite looking like she belonged in a lab. In her hands she held the large, worn cover of a vinyl LP, produced from the shadows of the building somewhere. Looking down, Serena saw that the table closer to Aria's side opposite the table set with food didn't hold anything that unusual or suspicious, just a record player.

"Come on Serena, let's not let this excellent dinner go to waste. I didn't invite you out here for McWobbuffet's."


	40. Chapter 40

"Do you ever think about the future?"

Serena's fork scraped along the edge of the plate. The creamy white hollandaise sauce in the bottom of the plate collected against the silvery fork's edge, collecting in the rake-like traps of the fork. She helped the sauce glaze the charred edge of the beef cutlet on the plate, just before she steadied the steak knife in her hand, sawing the jagged edge into the corner of the meat.

Serena took a bite, letting the chunk of beef sit in the center of her tongue. A plethora of flavors, separated by excellent cooking, simmered on Serena's pallet, all while she considered Aria's question. She chewed, feeling Aria's stare prodding against her, eventually swallowing and clearing her throat.

"I do…! I do a lot, actually… My future is very important to me," said Serena. "Why…? Do you…?"

Aria took a long drink from her glass. It had been replaced with something dark and high in alcohol content. As she swallowed, forcibly, leaning herself against the edge of the table, she gave a smile.

"It's not a serious question, I'm just curious," said Aria.

As she paused over her plate, looking over the selection of food, Serena gave a gentle smile. She sliced off a few bites of grilled asparagus, getting more of the creamy hollandaise sauce onto it and taking one large forkful.

"Well… Why do you ask? If I may ask?"

"I find myself thinking about the future more and more, everyday," said Aria. She set her silverware down beside the plate, leaving the utensils be. Her plate had been cleared, only a few oily spots remaining in the dish where sauces and vegetables had been. The majority of her thick, gravy-like sauce had been left, with a thin brown outline tracing where the beef cutlets had been.

Serena chewed silently, watching Aria. She was turning more and more reflective, she noticed. With nothing left to eat, she was nursing her glass more and more, poised on the edge of her lounging chair. She was staring down, the warm light of the candle flickering and washing over her, making her more intense-looking than she likely intended.

"It's become an unhealthy habit of mine, actually," said Aria. "I worry that it's just me. I try to not do it as much, but it seems to come to me naturally."

"What do you mean? Doesn't everyone do that?" Serena asked, raising her voice as she finished chewing. She had momentarily forgotten her manners, covering up her mouth abruptly with the napkin as her eyes went wide. Aria didn't notice at all, she was lost in her own reflective world.

"When I was little, I was told not to think about the future. I used to think that if I didn't worry about the future, I would be free of the stresses and fears that came with it all, but it took me some time to realize that thinking about the future in anyway at all was just another way of worrying about it. I mean, it's certainly important when you grow up poor, because worrying doesn't necessarily solve all your problems—in fact, it adds to them—but thinking about the future at all can do that to you. I've made it a habit to not think about it at all… Until recently, anyway."

Serena looked puzzled. Her fork and knife had already started on another cut of beef, exposing more of the tender, red insides, when she stopped completely. Her fingers rubbed the silverware unconsciously, feeling how unnatural the position she was in felt.

"Aria… Thinking about the future is natural," said Serena. "It can inspiring sometimes, knowing you have a future ahead of you and things to look forward to. Do you not think that…?"

Aria chuckled, seeming disconnected from what Serena was saying. "I don't think of the future that way. I try to focus on what I'm doing in the present moment and not worry about the future... Only now..."

When Aria trailed off, something seemed off. Her eyes grew colder.

"I've been thinking about the future now. Sometimes it's just better—or best—to just own up to it all."

"Aria… What does that mean…?"

Serena didn't have to listen to Aria's answer. She already knew it, deep down somewhere. Her mind flashed backwards. She searched through her memories and suddenly remembered the performance earlier—she remembered after, when she was sitting backstage.

The blood…

"Aria…" Serena spoke up again, breaking the frigid silence that had ensued. "Are you sick…?"

Though Aria seemed to be miles away, her head gently raised. Her eyes raised to look up at Serena, facing her directly. In the flickering candlelight, she seemed much older, much more tired.

"It's... It's something that runs in the family..."

Serena wasn't given a chance to respond. Aria slumped back in her chair, looking for a moment as though she was tired, but then she was suddenly flopping backwards. She slipped past the light of the candle, past the light of the moon, into the darkness behind the chair and beyond where Serena could see. Before she could stand up, she heard a cold, hard thump against the concrete floor.


	41. Chapter 41

Serena stood up quickly, getting to her feet. The table in front of her shuddered, the plate rattling and the silverware shaking against the edges. The candle flickered, threatening to go out. The chair just behind Serena screeched and echoed loudly through the upper floors of the tower.

The next breath Serena took was icy. She stepped around the table quickly, moving towards Aria's chair.

Aria's body had flopped over the edge of the lounge chair, her upper body descending down into the darkness behind it. Her hand lingered on the backrest, her arm draped over it somewhat dramatically in a seeming last ditch attempt to keep herself upright. Her naked legs were sprawled, one leg down beneath the lounge chair and her other leg extended down the length of the chair, her bare foot facing out towards Serena. Her shirt had sagged, looking uncomfortably caught beneath her stomach.

As Serena continued to walk, she saw where her upper body had laid down. Her right arm fallen on the concrete floor, bringing her shoulders down against the floor with her. Her torso seemed to curve awkwardly towards one side. The normally straightened, primped and cleaned head of hair Aria had flopped awkwardly over the side of her face, the rest spread out over the floor in strange tangles.

Serena couldn't see the details in her face, with the darkness obscuring it. Though she squinted to see through the dark, every detail of her gaunt, sickly face suddenly appeared in horrifyingly blinding detail as a flashlight clicked on just ahead of her. Serena shrieked, seeing that Aria's mouth was leaking blood again. A gash had formed on her forehead, oozing blood down the side of her head from where she had fallen and made contact with the ground—the sickening thud Serena remembered from earlier.

"Oh Arceus, it happened again..."

Serena looked up. A woman had spoken, standing just a few feet away from Serena. She stood over Aria, pointing the flashlight down. By the reflecting slivers of light in her glasses, Serena could tell it was the lady from earlier.

Back behind the woman, in the dark corners of the tower's floor, dozens of scrambling footsteps could be heard. Echoing, incoherent voices called to each other through the darkness, all as various members of a group were suddenly working together, trying to move what sounded like various other pieces of equipment. Lights flickered on, large spotlights attempting to turn on and taking time to power on.

 _"You_."

Distracted by the sudden commotion, Serena looked up to meet with the terrifying visage of the woman, watching as she bore down on Serena. It took Serena only a few, backpedaling steps before the woman had reached Serena, walking quickly around and trying to get her hands on Serena. She reached down, grabbing her hand and grabbing her arm, forcing Serena to stop and face her directly.

"What did you do to Aria?"

"W-What…? I didn't do anything…!"

 _"What did you do to Aria? Answer me!"_

Serena, horrified, managed to work her arm out of the woman's grip by force. It took a few jerking movements for her to free of the woman's grip on hand, but when she finally did she launched herself backwards. Her feet couldn't keep up with her and she inadvertently flung her whole weight into the table behind her.

The contents of the table exploded off the surface by Serena's sheer force. The candle instantly went out, flying off and launching towards the floor several dozen feet out. Both plates were flung, landing close to the table's former spot and smashing on the floor, wet food bursting out beneath the shattering china and splattering all over the floor. Both glasses exploded on the backrest of the chair, with Aria's alcoholic drink staining the front in large splattering arcs. The top of the table flipped, smashing down on top of the wrecked plates and food, skidding out towards the candle and the shattered remains of the vase. The metal legs from the underside of the table bounced once, a leg flying off and the others collapsing in on each other.

Serena cleared most of the wreckage, her legs catching on the underside of the chair and sending her tumbling backwards. She landed on her tail bone, particularly hard, making her wince and groan with intense pain before she had even skidded to a stop. Prepared to defend herself despite all the painful limitations her body had just gained, she forced herself to sit upright, her sore arms propping her up off the floor.

As Serena looked up, watching the woman come over to her, standing tall over her and looking down, Serena gritted her teeth and put her weight on her knees, turning herself upright.

Before she could get up, Serena felt two phantom hands grab her arms and pull her up sharply. Her legs kicked out beneath her suddenly, making the bulk of her weight fall onto her arms and her arm sockets, making her suppress a cry of pain. The arms held her just above the floor, giving Serena the fighting chance to put her legs beneath her and pull them out of the awkward position they had landed in. Her head hung down, buzzing with activity and pain, her blonde locks hanging down over her face.

Serena heard footsteps approach just in front of her, the ghostly and dim image of high-heeled shoes on feet approaching her in the dim moonlight. The flashlight clicked on again, shining down on Serena's captive figure. As Serena raised her head, squinting through the blinding light that shone down. She felt a feminine set of fingers brush her hair out of her eyes, bringing her face into view.

"It's just the Showcase girl, one of Aria's rivals," said one of the men holding Serena's arms.

"I know that," said the woman, "and I knew Aria shouldn't have invited her over for dinner. Seeing the competition would've stressed her out far too much, stressing her condition."

"C-Competition..." Serena mouthed, barely able to get out through her groans.

The woman kneeled down in front of Serena, facing Serena directly. She lowered the light, facing Serena in the ethereal, ghostly moonlight. When she felt Serena was looking away, she placed a slender hand beneath her chin, forcing Serena to face her.

"That's right, 'Competition'. You may not be aware of how hard it is to be Kalos Queen for as long as Aria has, especially when everyone's ready to grab a hold of the first pretty face that pops up on their TV screen. You may be Aria's replacement in Palermo's eyes, but don't think that your little performances guarantee you the freedom tromp over Aria's place just yet."

Though the pain was certainly a factor, Serena's head was swimming with what felt like a real-life nightmare. Her head bobbed, visibly enduring waves of exhaustion that battered her.

"So I suggest," said the woman, leaning in and baring her teeth, making sure that Serena heard every word that she hissed through her teeth, "that you play it very carefully after this. If you tell anyone how sick or what kind of state Aria is in, you might run the risk of ruining your career in a very, very _public_ way. It wouldn't look too good if you seemed _responsible_ for Aria's little fainting spell here."

The words cut straight through to the part of Serena that was conscious and tracking with everything. Her eyes focused on the dim eyes staring back at her beneath the glasses. Though she was doing her best to track with the woman, she continued to stare at the point where her eyes had been, even when the woman had stood up, facing her only once before she turned and walked back towards where Aria was.

"Take her outside. Get her out of here."


	42. Chapter 42

The old elevator car rattled noisily, the turning belts that lowered knocked the whole car around, the wheels squealing against the rails on either side of the wall. The light at the top of the car lighting the interior a faint green flickered and faded, turning the rest of the interior the deep, bright orange hue of the floors outside the elevator car as they passed by, sending waves of light over the three figures in the car.

Serena rested on her knees, her legs resting just behind her, her arms propped up and held beside her. Her head had slumped forward, hanging down and facing the floor. Her hair hung down, looking ragged and depressed. Her new clothes weren't doing that much better.

At the ground floor, the elevator door opened to the empty lobby. The lights were all off, with the only source of light coming from the elevator opening and the tall windows at the front of the building, bright white street lights glowing down the length of the floor. The passing siren of police cars wailed outside the front of the store, echoing in various corners of the city.

The two men dragged Serena out a few steps before tossing her out of the elevator. She landed on her knees with a hard smack, the hard tile feeling cold and unforgiving beneath her knees. She slowly flopped forward, landing onto her chest on the tile. The tile smelled just as terrible as she remembered the train terminal, smelling of rotten fruit and other fluids. It felt dirty beneath her hands, crusty and gross as she pressed her hands to it, trying to lift herself up, hearing the footsteps of the men from the elevator coming around her.

Before Serena could protest, she watched as the bag she had worn into the upper floor appeared before her, in the grasp of one of the men. He rifled through it, knocking papers and keepsakes out onto the floor in front of Serena, moving his large hand through the tiny bag with abandon.

"Whatcha looking for, boss?" asked the other man, watching from the sidelines, paying more attention to Serena and if she was trying to get away. Increasingly, he getting more curious about what his partner was trying to find in the bag.

Eventually, the man pulled out what he was looking for, pulling it out and holding it out for everyone to see: a Pokeball. In the dim light, a tiny label was visible on the back of it, written in girly handwriting: Sylveon.

"Oh boss… What do you want with her Pokemon…? Did the lady say to keep it…?"

"She wants her to have a little reminder to stay quiet," said the man holding the Pokeball.

Looking up, Serena couldn't process what was happening. She watched as the Pokeball dropped to the ground, not bouncing like it had been activated, but instead falling with a dull, plastic clatter. Any attempt to roll away or bounce was stopped cold by the man, his thick boot planting down on the Pokeball and pinning it to the ground. Her eyes grew wide, her mouth opening.

"Oh boss..." his partner gawked.

The man forced his boot down. He gave it a good, strong press, hearing a crack at the very bottom. He grunted, twisting his hands up into fists, lifting his leg a bit and stomping down. A crackling, cascading burst of sparks suddenly came from the black band surrounding the Pokeball, the two halves becoming unseated and sitting together uncomfortably.

The front button snapped, falling forward to the edge of the shell, coming loose right in front of Serena's eyes. The realization hadn't quite hit her yet, but when it did it was an electric, violent reaction. She shouted.

"No…! Wait…!" Serena shouted.

The man lifted his leg, forcing the shell down. The Pokeball collapsed sideways, the white half digging into the red half. The whole structure didn't break, holding together, making the tile grind beneath it. Another bright crackle of sparks came out of the side, the heel of his boot making the two halves twist.

As Serena leaped forward, trying to crawl forward and get some momentum, the man behind her tripped her foot and made her fall flat. When her arms flew out beneath her, the man grabbed one of the free arms and yanked her back, pulling her back up. Serena flipped onto her side, her arm falling down beneath her with a painful slap, giving the man the chance to pull her back quickly and drag her back, her legs kicking forth.

"Alright boss, I think that's enough," said his partner, looking more than a little concerned.

 _"Graah!"_

The man stomped down. The hinge snapped audibly, falling back. A huge eruption of electricity shot out of the sides, a hissing noise coming from within as the electronics died. Thin wisps of black, electrical smoke emitted through every single opening out from the center.

Serena screamed, her eyes filled with tears as she reached out, fighting and squirming towards the Pokeball.

" _Noooo!_ "

* * *

The two halves of the Pokeball were thrown into the street with ease, tossed like garbage. They landed on a drift in the side of the road, where mud had built up and clogged up in the place of rainwater.

The front of the door to the tower slammed shut, rattling the front frame of the building and sending water cascading over the front. Out from beneath the dark alcove, Serena stumbled out, landing and flipping onto her back. Her back skidded on the wet sidewalk, giving her a moment before her arms and legs flopped onto the wet concrete, her body laying flat and weak in front of the tower.

Serena raised herself, turning and putting herself on her hands and knees, giving herself a chance to breathe. Mud had sloshed over her new outfit, covering her in the filth of the street.

It took her a few seconds to find the damaged, broken Pokeball, but she finally found it on the edge of the street. She quickly crawled to it, stooping down into the street and fishing it out of the mud, holding it her filthy, dirty hands. She sat herself up on her knees, placing herself on the edge of the sidewalk. In her hands she cradled the Pokeball, feeling rainwater pool over the two halves and her palms. As she stared at the remains, she caught the waterlogged, soaked sticker on the side of it that read 'Sylveon'.

It took her a few moments, but she eventually lowered her head, hanging it. Her waterlogged, soaked hair hung down around her head, and she wept.


	43. Chapter 43

The two broken halves of the Pokeball rested on the table, propped up with a towel beneath them. Deep marks had been carved into the shell, scuffs from being smashed marked deep with dirt in the lighter, plastic crevices. The hinge was only on one of the Pokeball, the internal manifold that held the two together hanging out of the edge like a sad tail, mixed in with thin cables and wires that attached the two halves.

Though Clemont was staring down at the Pokeball, completely transfixed by Serena's memory, Dawn was focused directly on her. She was sitting forward, looking attentive and concerned, hanging on every word of hers.

Serena looked exhausted, both physically and emotionally. As she sat at the far end of the table, her hands in her lap, her body slumped towards the edge of the table, she kept staring down at the table, completely lost in the memory.

"Did anything else happen…?" asked Dawn.

Serena shook her head, sighing. "Nothing remarkable. I got on the train and went straight home. I told Clemont what had happened, showed him the Pokeball, and kept quiet."

"Did you tell Ash?"

Serena looked up. She looked at Dawn, making sure she had heard her right, turning the words over silently in her head as she looked at her. She swallowed, shaking her head. "No, I didn't," she said.

As Serena was silently searching for an answer to give Dawn, an answer as to why she had done what she had done, her train of thought had been cut off. Dawn spoke up first, interrupting any words that could have come from her.

"Clemont, can you give us a moment? Alone?" asked Dawn.

Clemont nodded. He got up, stepping away from the table and scooting his chair back in. In the background, behind Dawn, he shuffled and muttered at the floor, getting Bunnelby to move away from a plate of tea cakes from beneath the table, getting him to follow out of the room.

Out of the corner of Dawn's eye, she saw the large wooden door to the meeting space close. She then turned her attention to Serena, giving her a surprisingly warm smile.

"You know, I had really been looking forward to meeting you. This really isn't what I had in mind, though," said Dawn, lightly chuckling.

"Oh…?" Serena tried to look cordial but her expression wilted into sadness. "I… I really didn't mean to ruin us meeting. I really wanted to see you and meet you and do all sorts of fun things… I… I just remembered Sylveon today, and I needed help… Clemont said you were the one who could help..."

Dawn's smile grew warmer, more light laughs coming from her. She sipped from a tiny teacup she held poised in her hands, drinking from the sweet, steaming contents.

"They never threatened to hurt you or Sylveon if you tried to heal her, did they?" asked Dawn.

"No..."

"So... What's stopping you?

Already, Serena looked exasperated, searching herself for the answer to the question. Her mouth opened several times in false-start attempts to answer, but she came up short. She finally looked up to Dawn.

"I… I made a promise..."

Dawn leaned in a little closer, looking more confused. "Huh?"

"I… I had an obligation… And I failed..."

* * *

 **TexTheTepig asks:**

 **Howdy, Serena. What's the best thing that's ever happened in your Kalos adventure?**

* * *

"When I left my home in Vanville Town, I didn't know what I was getting into. I really didn't. In all honesty, I just wanted to get away from my mother—but I really wanted to go travel the world with amazing people, people like Ash. It was all I had ever wanted—not to be out in the world, sleeping in a sleeping bag on the ground, sleeping in tents on cold nights, going days without showering or constantly running into trouble—but to be my own person… To have… Responsibility…

"At first that responsibility was what I had expected. It wasn't easy, but it was fulfilling. I felt like I was growing up in a matter of weeks, learning to take care of others and more importantly those around me. I was developing relationships with my Pokemon, I was reaching for dreams I had never thought were possible. It was the best time of my life.

"Things got hard, I wasn't expecting it to be as hard as it was either. There were times I desperately wanted to go home, but I couldn't—I wouldn't let myself."

Dawn looked deep into Serena's eyes, leaning in closer from where she sat, looking over at where a darkness was washing over her face. A deep, shuddering sigh came out of Serena.

"I had to remember… I had to remember what I had said in the first place," said Serena. "It was when I was first going to leave, when I was first heading out on my own… The difficult thing I had to say to my mom, the promise I had to give: that I would take care of my Pokemon—my friends—first and foremost above myself. It was so easy for me to say at the time because I knew that saying it would let me free of my mother… But it was the hardest thing I had ever said now that I ever think about it. I genuinely meant it. Pokemon were my friends and partners, and I was looking forward to investing in them."

Serena raised her gaze, looking across the table over at where Dawn was. The table seemed longer—or Serena seemed more distant from Dawn than she had ever been, seeming miles away even though she hadn't changed where she was sitting.

"It… It was those words that changed my life, forever… Of all the things I've been glad to do in Kalos… All the amazing Showcases… Meeting Aria… Traveling all over Kalos… Spending time with my friends… Nothing has ever been more important to me than my Pokemon. My Pokemon changed my life…"

A painful swallow came from Dawn. Though she had looked worried before, the confidence that came with it, the natural reassurance she had always behind her had seemed to go away. Dawn's gaze was masked by a cloudiness, brows folded together and worried.

"And… And I failed them… I know I didn't know what would happen with Aria, but I didn't put their… Their safety ahead of my own…."

* * *

 _A/N:_

 _Hey everybody, minor announcement._

 _To keep pace and end the story on time by November 1st, I will be doing double chapter posts everyday until the story is complete. I apologize for your email inbox if you are subscribed to this story._

 _Thank you for your continued support._


	44. Chapter 44

A hand slipped over the top of Serena's, rubbing affectionately. The fingers slipped beneath Serena's palm, grasping.

Serena didn't need to look up to see who it was. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Dawn had seated herself closer to her, her chair positioned only a foot away from hers. Dawn leaned over the table, looking Serena over, a light smile on her features when she saw Serena's confusion.

"I want you to hold onto that thought for just a moment longer, okay?" asked Dawn.

Nodding gently, Serena looked down at where Dawn's hand met hers. Instinctively, without thinking, her hand flipped over and reached up to hold Dawn's hand, her fingers curling over the top of the matching hand. Dawn squeezed in kind, satisfied at Serena's newfound openness.

"We're going to do something completely different now," said Dawn.

* * *

A narrow hallway ran along the back of Desi's shop. Walls bursting with reams of carefully cultivated fabric lined the back wall, with loose threads and cardboard tubes sticking out from boxy slots. Propped up beneath a tiny window to the outdoor world, Desi sat in front of an old sewing machine. A metal wheel turned with a gentle creaking beside her arm as she fed a section of pressed fabrics down beneath the large iron arm, pushing it past a plunging silvery needle and thread. A wooden board rocked beneath the machine as Desi's foot pumped and provided some kinetic energy for the wheel above, the toes of her black flats pressed into a carved paw print design. Down on a shelf beside a vast array of varying sewing supplies, bins with various spools of thread and an assortment of needles in kits, an old wooden phonograph were propped up on a stack of mythology books, the black vinyl disk gently turning beneath an old needle, pumping old swing music up through a large brass horn atop it.

The thumping of footsteps echoed down the narrow hall, the sound cascading above the foggy notes of the phonograph. Looking up from the turning spool of thread atop the metal arm of the sewing machine, Desi looked down the hall. The familiar plodding of Rei's footsteps didn't match the new sound in Desi's ear.

Dawn walked down the narrow length, Serena in tow just behind her, arriving from where the hallway ended and the long counter of the shop began. Just by her walking pink boots, the catlike running of Francesca, Desi's Glameow, moved silently and ran ahead of the group of ladies, heading into the small sewing room before the two of them had even arrived.

Seeing the two arrive, Desi sat back, scooting the tiny stool she sat on back as the old wheel scuttled over the floorboards. Just beside her, Francesca had launched herself onto the sewing machine, sitting beside the still wheel of the machine and pawing at the leathery belt.

"Oh, hello again~! Did you all get in a good chat~?"

"We did! It was a… Um… meaningful one!" Dawn said, looking somewhat awkward in saying anything about it at all. She had to give Serena a look from just behind her shoulder to confirm that the awkward feeling wasn't just stemming from her. "We'd, um, like to take this conversation elsewhere, though. Just to get out and get a bit of fresh air."

"Ahh~! Of course~! Don't feel like you need permission from me, aha~ I ain't your mama~!"

"Well, we're going to head out and go experience some of Costa Nova's nightlife, see what it's all about, and I'd like to see if you could help us with outfits for tonight—"

Dawn didn't have to finish her sentence. In fact, she had to take a step back, nearly backing into Serena when Desi rocketed up out of her chair, standing in front of Dawn and giving her a wild, excited grin. She nearly jumped at Dawn, throwing her arms around her and pulling into a tight hug, one that Dawn immediately regretted as she felt the life getting squeezed out of her. Dawn looked down in horror as she felt her feet leave the ground, Desi's hold on her back lifting her up off the ground and nearly slinging her whole figure over Desi's shoulders fireman-style. She let out a yelp, looking around for something to hold onto and looking at the ground in terror as she contemplated how falling would feel. She shot Serena a look when she heard giggling.

"Oh my goodness~! Dawn~! Anything for you and lovely Serena, aha~! Dresses are my specialty~!"

A loud clatter shook the floor as Dawn was released from Desi's hold making her land hard back on the ground. She stumbled back, nearly falling into a stack of reams before Serena caught her, giving her a sheepish, concerned look. Dawn felt her eyes cross for a moment, looking dazed as the air returned to her winded lungs. Her glasses had become dislodged, an arm slipping over her ear and the bridge of her glasses slipping down to the edge of her nose.

"Sounds good…" Dawn groaned.

* * *

The dressing room was setup inside a part of the building that looked like a castle. The walls were rounded, made of stone, torches lit on the walls and sending tall, flickering shadows up towards the vaulted ceilings. A large, iron chandelier hung down over the room, casting flickering shadows throughout the space.

In the center of the room, a large, rounded and cushy seat had been placed. Francesca was lounging in the center, napping silently. The long, whip-like tail of hers had unfurled from its spring-like shape, the white fluffy end dangling over the end like a cat toy. At the very end of the cushion, a round blue head popped up, a pair of beady black eyes blinking silently—it was Piplup. His little beak opened to make a playful cry, his blue flipper reaching up and batting the white end of Francesca's tail.

The tail suddenly snapped back into a tighter coil then it normally was in. The tall ears on Francesca's head rose even higher, her eyes snapping open. Her head craned around, glaring at Piplup with catlike intensity, flashing her teeth and hissing. In turn, Piplup folded his flippers, turning his head away indignantly.

Opening an eye, Piplup saw that Francesca had returned to sleeping—this time her tail was tucked beneath a paw. As she snoozed, Piplup gained a look of determination, waddling back a few steps before he launched himself up onto the cushion.

At the end of the round, castle-like dressing room, facing the entrance across the rounded space, Serena sat on the bench silently. Her hands had been pressed between her legs, her lips pressed and the subject of her chewing teeth as she listened to the ambient shuffling throughout the dressing room and through the shop beyond the entrance. In the corners of her vision, she saw a mirror hanging beside a door, a sliver of her reflection visible to her.

As Serena caught her admiring her reflection for a moment, a shrill clatter made her lurch. Her feet scooted against the smooth wood floors, her knees pressing together and threatening to crush her hands. Her eyes grew wide suddenly, her lips tightening. The sound of stumbling, Glameow paws scrambling lightly across the floor and racing around the space as thick, uncoordinated Piplup paws thudded after her. Serena listened silently, out of fear, as the scrambling footsteps got more distant, before suddenly getting closer. A glimpse of running legs passed beneath the edge of the door, racing by in nearly a flash. Even louder thumps came from against the wall, something slamming powerfully and making the walls shake. Expensive furniture rattled, glass shaking and some shattering.

"Piplup! Hey now, cut it out!" Dawn's voice called, coming from the end of the dressing room. All of the scrambling suddenly stopped.

Serena gave a relieved breath. She straightened herself up on the bench, placing the footing of her boots more evenly on the floor.

Moments later, the door to the dressing room opened up. Dawn stepped through, wielding two large paper bags with the boutique's logo emblazoned proudly on them. She eased the doors closed, popping the lock through. She set the bags on the floor: one by her and the mirror, and one by Serena.

"Sorry about that, I had a bit of input with our choices for tonight," Dawn smiled lightly, looking sheepish.

Though Serena had began to stoop down towards the bag by her feet, she paused, her back awkwardly craned down towards the floor. She was watching as Dawn, unwrapping the scarf around her neck and straightening the scarf between her outstretched arms and hanging it on one of the pegs beside her. As Dawn's arms descended, her leg lifted to bring the edge of her pink boot into her grasp, the zipper slipping down the edge and the boot coming loose, freeing her leg. Serena came to a strange, unusual realization.

"Dawn… Are you… Are you changing…?"

"Yeah!" said Dawn happily, oblivious to any concerns that Serena might have been raising. After setting aside both of the empty boots, she worked her stockings down from beneath her calves, the skin breathing for the first time all day and beginning to color.

Serena's look of worry grew, her gaze lingering on Dawn's naked legs as she pulled off the rest of her stockings, her bare foot arching softly in air. She swallowed silently.

"Dawn…"

"You're welcome to change too!"

"Oh! Right… I guess I just didn't realize I was in your space… I'll just head into the next changing room over…" Serena said.

Dawn had just finished removing her hat, setting it on a small shelf in the corner between the wall and the mirror. Her attention was on the mirror, facing her reflection and smoothing her hair from where it had been trapped beneath the hat. Her short, boyish hair fluffed up in her fingers, a satisfied grin appearing. In the mirror, she looked back towards Serena's corner, seeing that she was gathering up the bag on the floor, getting ready to cross into the next room over.

Turning, Dawn faced Serena as she was getting ready to leave. In her expressions, she identified Serena's concern, Serena stopping when she saw Dawn.

"Serena, I figured we would just change quickly. No big deal. I wanted to continue our conversation before we left, at least just a little bit," said Dawn. "Besides! We're both girls! No need to worry!"


	45. Chapter 45

A section of Dawn's midsection had come out into the open. Her arms were raised over her head, the ends of her black top in her fingers. Her head popped through, a thin white tank top covering her torso. When she looked back at Serena, she smiled, straightening the bunched up sections of her top in her hands and slipping them into a hanger, then hanging it on a peg.

"Come on Serena," said Dawn. "Try your things on!"

Serena had been distracted again. This time, it was by Dawn and her face. She had removed her glasses, leaving them to rest on the small shelf between the wall and the mirror. Her face was clear of any abstractions, and Serena felt a familiarity. Though she had never seen Dawn in person, she remembered the photo Ash had of her—even if slightly younger, she was awfully close to the memory Serena had. Her eyes were bright and blue, her smile cheery and reassuring, her demeanor cool and collected. A brush of blue, shortly trimmed hair had been swept over her brow, knocked loose from her top. The way she held herself, even though she was taller, felt awfully familiar in a way that photos couldn't capture—it reminded her of _herself_ in some strange way.

Dawn had turned around and away. Her white tank top had come up and even off without Serena noticing. Down beneath her head, beneath her shapely, well-defined shoulder blades, Serena saw something crossing Dawn's naked back—it was a strap, belonging to a—

Forcing her eyes shut, Serena forced down a squeal, forcing it not to come out. Her attention immediately focused on her bag, her hands reaching in and rifling through the contents inside.

"I hope you don't mind how informal this all is, I'm just trying to stay kinda spontaneous with all this—holding things loosely, you know?" said Dawn. Though Serena heard her voice, she refused to acknowledge the source or where it came from. Dawn carried on anyway. "I wanted to actually tell you a bit of a story—sort of a parable, if you want to call it that."

"Okay..." said Serena. It was all she could get out at that point.

"I… Well, what I mean to say is that... I get where you are coming from. I mean, I get that feeling of failure, even if you know you haven't failed. That kind of 'weirdness' you might find from wanting to be on your own. It's all natural. I've experienced it, a lot, and in a big way too."

In the depths of the packed bag, Serena's hands brushed a plastic rod—the hanger that held her new clothes. She lifted up the item out of the bag, letting the whole of it cascade out from it's folded form in the bag, expanding to hang down from the hanger in her grasp. It was a white, summery dress, looking loose and breathable. Thousands of small, detailed flowers had been printed on, all in complimentary pastel colors. Perfectly even, thick straps covered the shoulders. Where the dress slimmed down around the torso, the dress had been cut like a toga, with the same pattern of fabric twisting around through the center towards where a knot would've been, and instead where a fabric-constructed flower had been attached.

"I felt that desire too," said Dawn. "To get away from home… That kind of yearning… But even when I was traveling with Ash and Brock, I felt that distance… Like I had more of my dream to discover that I hadn't even thought of yet. Like I hadn't realized it fully. "

Though Serena's gaze was affixed to the white dress and where it hung on the wall, she was staring past it. She swallowed audibly. Reaching back, raising the end of the white collar on the dress she was already wearing, her fingers worming their way into the space beneath the collar, finding the tiny hidden zipper. Gritting her teeth, fighting back the rising blush in her cheeks, she slowly lowered the zipper.

"And then I met Cynthia… I had begun to plan my life after Brock and Ash left, and even then I wasn't sure what I wanted to do… But Cynthia… She opened my eyes wide open… In more ways than one..." said Dawn.

"What do you mean…?" asked Serena.

"Well, to be quite honest, I developed a rather large crush on her."

Serena's dress had slid over her shoulders, midway down her arms. Only a thin bra strap covered her shoulders, the rest of her upper half naked and exposed. She hesitated, freezing when Dawn's words hit her. Any attempt at stifling the blushing in her cheeks was rendered moot, her cheeks turning a flaming red. Through where her blonde hair covered her ears, she was sure the glowing tips were visible to Dawn. She held up her dress, even though she had begun to lower it, feeling sheepish that even her back was exposed.

"W-What…?" Serena asked aloud. She looked back at Dawn out of fear, surprised she even had the courage to do so, trying to see if she had been joking in any way.

Dawn had fitted herself with a button-up shirt. It was dotted and dense with a pattern of graphic, tiny flowers, all colored teal, white, pink, or purple. It was a deep, navy hue, fitted up to the nape of her neck, the sleeves shortened and rolled up past her elbows. The ends of it were loose, unbuttoned, flowing around her hips. Down beneath, Dawn's legs were naked, her bare feet shuffling on the wooden floor. Serena's gaze followed up Dawn's legs, up the shapely, pale curves to her thighs, where she momentarily focused on the deep blue, bird-like footprints crawling up the back of her thigh—a tattoo of Piplup's paw prints. She looked up, catching a glimpse beneath Dawn's flowing, loose shirt of her light blue, spotted—

Serena stifled a yelp. She quickly turned around, facing her dress on the wall. She swallowed again, forcing her own dress to come down. She kept her head above, staring at the wall and forcing her dress to come off, squatting only to step out of it. She moved quickly, doing her best to get the dress off in a quick, efficient manner, refusing to look down.

"Yes, as embarrassing as it is to admit, I had a pretty big crush on Cynthia. In fact, even more embarrassing to admit, it was probably the biggest factor in even wanting to go with her in the first place. I thought, silly as it sounds, I could fall in love with her when we were traveling. I thought maybe something would happen," said Dawn.

"O-Oh yeah…?" Serena asked, daring to look back. She covered herself with the new dress, free of her old one but still not having the new dress on her, hugging it close to her body as she worked the hanger out from beneath the shoulder straps. The made sure that every inch of skin was covered by the closely-held dress as she pulled the hanger out. "What happened…?" Serena continued. "Aren't you still traveling with her?"

"Well, it was embarrassing what ultimately happened… I confessed to her..." said Dawn. "She understood where I was coming from."

"Does she not… You know… Like girls…?"

"No, not exactly."

Serena had stepped through the dress, having raised it up over her body and covered herself most of the way. She had reached the halfway point with her dress, like she had when she was removing the other one, covering her upper body. As she took a moment to pause, she focused on Dawn's words, looking over at her.

A thin pink belt was snaking through the loops on Dawn's pants, working nimbly beneath her fingertips as she pushed them in. She had put on a pair of slim black pants, a pair that hugged her figure, the cuffs of her pants rolled up just slightly above her ankles. Once she had finished, she took the buttons on her shirt down an extra button, opening up the inside of her shirt, exposing the upper half of her chest. As she ran a hand over the smooth surface, contemplating it, she reached to her side and found where her scarf was, taking the slim reddish item and smoothing again. As she faced the mirror, she tied the scarf tightly around her neck, fitting the knot between her collar like an ascot.

As the lull in conversation ensued, Serena quickly lifted the straps of her dress up, popping her arms through. The upper half of the dress fit comfortably, hugging her close when she finished the zipper back up.

"What… What happened?" asked Serena.

"Cynthia reminded me of the truth," said Dawn.

On the shelf between the wall and the shelf, Dawn reached past her glasses. A small pin cushion had been built into the wooden surface, and just behind it, tucked in the corner, two small pieces of jewelry had been set. She fished them out, pulling them into her hands. In the light of the dressing room, she admired the pieces of jewelry cupped in the palms of her hands—they were clips for her hair, golden triangular clips with a smooth, pearly surface.

Dawn faced herself in the mirror. Through her short-trimmed, close hair, she slipped the open clip of the hair clips into her hair one at a time. They fit neatly against the corners of her head, smoothing back tufts of hair, tucking up the edge of her short, brushed-aside bangs.

"Cynthia reminded me that my goals in life aren't other people—they aren't solely dependent on others," said Dawn. "My friends, my family and my Pokemon are the most important part of my life, and I will always remember that. But my dreams are my own, and I have to pursue them regardless. I truly love Cynthia in a way that goes beyond a crush or even romantic love, because she is my mentor and my closest friend in this world. I am grateful that, even though I had silly reasons for going with her, I still had to follow my dreams. I will share my dreams with people like Cynthia, but I am ultimately the sole driving force in that. I will help Cynthia with her dreams too, but ultimately she is the one who needs to make her dreams a reality."

Serena had finished putting her dress on. She was quiet, listening to Dawn's words.

Down on the bench, Dawn had propped her foot up on the bench. She had fitted a pair of black ankles socks onto one foot already, and was fitting her other foot into another sock. Once she had them on, she planted her feet evenly on the ground. An open shoe box with simple black shoes in them were waiting for her, but Dawn walked past them. She quickly gathered up her glasses, opening up her arms and fitting them over her eyes.

Serena watched as Dawn crossed in front of her, heading for the door of the changing room. She unlocked the door, opening it.

"Come on, and bring your bag too," said Dawn, smiling.


	46. Chapter 46

On the other side of the dressing room door, Dawn had set a small plastic case in the center of the large round cushion in the center of the dressing area. With the lid open, she was rooting through the contents, pulling out key items. When she saw Serena approaching, she offered a very cordial smile and waved her over.

"What are you doing…?" asked Serena as she approached the cushion. When Dawn waved her over, she sat herself down on the edge of the cushion. She sat as uncomfortably as she had on the bench in the shared dressing room earlier. Her hands slipped into her lap, pressing between her knees, her legs straight and poised. She sat straight, looking not nearly as at-home as Dawn was.

Down on the floor, Piplup waddled in from the side, pushing the base of a tall mirror with all his might and scooting it in. Before Serena could wander what he was doing, the mirror was set up in front of her, standing squarely across from her. Her reflection looked even more surprised than she did. Though inclined to check her appearance as always, Serena found her gaze wandering over the dress she wore, seeing how bright and free it made her look. Down beneath, her deep black stockings covered her knees, meeting closely with the ends of the dress.

Up above, Dawn was on her knees on the cushion, her head above Serena's. She looked down at Serena through the mirror, wielding a brush in her hands.

"Well, what does it look like? I'm going to do your hair!" said Dawn.

"Oh…! Okay..." said Serena, forcing a smile.

"I have a feeling you're probably as particular about your hair as I am, but trust me, I know what I'm doing," Dawn winked, unsettling Serena to her core.

Serena swallowed. The tiny plastic fingers of the brush in Dawn's hand raked across Serena's scalp, running down the length of her hair. The individual layers of her shorter hair were fading, blending together, the curls fading and turning into one mass of smooth blonde hair. At first, the brushing was slow and painful, Serena wincing with each knot that the many fingers of the brush tugged through. As Dawn's brush came more precise, sections of hair held up and used for a more close brushing, the sensation became more relaxing, more smooth.

"Don't worry," Dawn grinned. "You won't be getting your hair trimmed as short as mine. I won't be cutting it at all!'

That made Serena smile. "I'm not worried about that."

"I'm surprised you haven't opened up the last box in the bag," said Dawn.

Serena blinked. She had forgotten about the bag in the short amount of time she had been in the outside, but it was still with her, sitting on the cushion beside her. Lifting it, she scooted it into her lap, her eyes craning down as she kept her head straight.

Though she found the last box inside the bag, Serena wasn't thinking about it. She was trying to return her head-space to where the conversation had been moments before in the small dressing room. It took her moments, but she remembered her question.

"Dawn… When you say something like that… That your dream is your own… Do you mean to say that I shouldn't have seen Aria at all? That I need to... To move past Aria?"

Flipping a large section of hair over the top of Serena's head, putting the part in Serena's hair just inches above her ear, Dawn fed into her fingers the length of Serena's hair that had been hidden beneath the mass of the rest of her hair. With the strands of hair held taught, Dawn looked up, looking into the mirror and looking at Serena through the reflection. After taking that moment to contemplate, she ran the brush down the length of her hair, smoothing it.

"Not exactly," Dawn smiled. "I think Aria is an incredible resource to you. You should still value any time that you spend with her. What I really want to encourage you is to not let this moment in time—or that moment in time, whenever ago it was—get you down and discourage you from your dreams. You shouldn't let Aria be the be-all end-all of your dreams, because the person who determines that is you."

Serena had opened the shoe box that rested on her lap, but her gaze had shifted past it. She was too distracted by Dawn's words, letting them sink in.

"Like my dream is my dream…" said Serena. "It's no one else's dream… Aria can help me with my dreams, but I'm the one who must make them happen..."

"Exactly," Dawn said, looking back at Serena in the mirror. She had moved away from Serena's side, moved over towards the side of the cushion where the case of supplies was. She set a few things by Serena's side, things that Serena wasn't paying attention to.

When Dawn returned to Serena's side, her finger tapped against the shoe box loudly, startling Serena.

"Come on, try them on!" said Dawn.

Serena looked down into the box in her lap. Pulling back the tissue paper inside, Serena unveiled a pair of brown leather sandals. As she lifted them up, unearthing them from the tissue paper insides. She pulled them up, holding to the leathery soles, inspecting them and how they fit. In a moment of consideration, she looked down at her own feet, seeing the stockings that still covered her legs. Setting aside the sandals, she helped lower the stockings down her legs, working them off her feet.

When Serena came up, having set aside the balled-up stockings, Dawn was right by her side, one of her legs up on the side of the cushion and another standing and helping herself up. Her hands helped smooth her hair back down to where it was supposed to be, using the brush to smooth it all together. She traced a smooth part directly at a quarter hemisphere of her head, making sure a hair wasn't out of line.

Serena was distracted enough to feel Dawn's hand on her chin, pulling her head around to face her. Though Dawn looked Serena's face over, seeing her confusion, her eyes refocused almost immediately on her hair.

"And… I don't just think that's good advice for Aria and your dream of Showcases," said Dawn.

"Oh…?" said Serena, suddenly finding herself caught off-guard by the question.

"Yes indeed," said Dawn. "I think it applies to your feelings about Ash."

A forced blink came from Serena. Her throat went to gulp but instead made an awkward plunging sound. Her cheeks glowed brightly, lighting the tips of her ears, getting darker with embarrassment.

"W-What…? N-No…! What gives you such an—"

"Serena, come on," Dawn said with a knowing smile, taking a moment to look back down at Serena. "Can we not play the 'oh, what, me?' game today?" she asked, momentarily mimicking the doe-eyed look that Serena gave.

"But… I..." Looking up into Dawn's determined gaze didn't do anything to stop the seemingly inevitable truth that Serena would have to own up to. The wall of resistance Serena was receiving was impossible to circumvent. She hung her head down, giving a gentle sigh, shaking her head.

"Come on Serena, I shared my embarrassing life of love, now it's your turn."

In Dawn's hand, she was fumbling with a set of clips, trying to work her fingernail in and popping the latch open on one. Once she had it, she smoothed the hair in the corner opposite Serena's part, pulling the hair up. With a thumb pressed down against the area, she smoothed a section of air down behind Serena's head, opting to slip the clip in there.

"I guess… There's not a lot to report..."

"But you like him?" Dawn looked down at Serena with a coyness.

"Yes, of course I do—I mean—" Serena stumbled through her admission, realizing the switch that Dawn had pulled on her. She looked up, looking deeply humiliated, her cheeks permanently staining pink with embarrassment.

"Come on Serena, don't give me that much credit. I like a good joke and all, but you're making it too hard for anyone _not_ to notice."

"R-Really…?" Serena swallowed, meeting with Dawn's nodding head.

Dawn reached down, pulling one last clip. This one was large, obscured from Serena's vision. She slipped it into the corner she had pulled back on Serena's hair, sinking it in completely before snapping it down. Serena felt something tickling against her brow, but she stayed still for Dawn.

"Well, if my story is any example—in fact, it's a rather bad example," said Dawn. "But, I don't recommend choosing the path you go down to chase your destiny based on someone you have a sizable crush on. I thank Arceus every day I can that Cynthia didn't outright reject my advances and still let me travel with her—it's given me a world of experience I couldn't find anywhere else."

As Serena's hand gingerly reached up, trying to blindly figure out what Dawn had attached to the top of her head, Dawn suddenly reappeared, a jar in her hand.

"Close your eyes," said Dawn.

Serena obeyed, her eyes fluttering shut. She winced in anticipation, feeling Dawn's cold fingers brush just beneath her eyebrows, smearing something cold over her the tops of her eyes with gentle dabbing motions. Her eyes lightly touched on the bulging surface of her eye, massaging in the most unusual and uncomfortable way.

"I know talking about dreams sounds so out there, but let me encourage you first and foremost—just enjoy the time you have with Ash. He's given you so much already in the way of experiences, and be grateful for that," said Dawn. "Because eventually, it'll all end. Make those memories why I can."

When Serena's eyes opened, she met with a serious and equally reassuring look from Dawn. She smiled lightly, nodding softly.

At Dawn's inclination, she looked herself in the mirror. Dawn's last addition was a small bun at the ends of the length of her hair after she had tugged it taught, but once that had been added she had been left alone. Her hair was smoothed, honey-colored and clean, looking like it had before her hair had been cut but with none of the length. The part in her hair made her look clean and well-groomed, pulled into the corner where a large white flower had been attached, complementing her head. Just above her eyes, the cold makeup that Dawn had spread was a hazy purple and teal, sparkling brightly, not too heavy with eye-shadow.

Dawn reappeared by her side, but not as she had earlier. She sat herself closer, nearly cheek to cheek with Serena, sharing the tall mirror.

"And my other piece of advice?" said Dawn. She removed the cap from a tube of lipstick, turning the dial beneath and exposing the large red stick inside. Her lips stretched and she made a face, the crayon-like end of the lipstick coloring her lips gently. She took a white napkin, cleaning up any smears.

As Serena hung on Dawn's words, listening for the second part, she felt Dawn's fingers return to her chin and hold it in place. The red lipstick colored her lips carefully, slowly grazing the lower corners of Serena's lips. Something about it felt warmer than Serena had expected.

"Don't attach your heart to one boy just yet," said Dawn, a very devious grin growing as she winked. "Feel free to let your heart search for what truly makes it feel right at home. Feel free to… Experiment."

Listening, feeling Dawn's lipstick tube rub against her upper lip, Serena's eyes widened silently as she remembered where the lipstick had been.

Serena looked back as Dawn was replacing the cap on the lipstick, her mouth agape and lips quivering.

"Now _that_ was a joke," Dawn grinned.


	47. Chapter 47

In the back of the shop, a large storage room was filled with every kind of dress-making supply imaginable. Old wooden tables with large iron sewing machine mechanics tucked beneath them had been stacked high beside a tall stone column, reams of old dusty fabrics stuffed between their legs and hanging out haphazardly. A dozen stools and chairs of various sizes and colors were stacked against the wall beside them. Down throughout the floors, tall mannequins with various amounts of their bodies being 'complete'—some with just torsos, others with fully posed arms or legs, some even with heads and sculpted, colorless faces. The mannequins stood among tall, long racks of old dresses, countless stacked in storage and dusty with age.

Up above, above the tall rounded wall of windows at the far end of the room, a long metal structure hung from the ceiling, just above the lit chandeliers—an air vent. Dust kicked up in descending, cascading clouds, the whole structure rattling and thumping as something or someone crawled inside.

All at once, with a loud snap, the air vent broke from the arms that had bolted it to the ceiling. The whole structure creaked as it sagged down, more arms snapping or the bolts that held the vent to the ceiling snapping off completely. Several loud shouts and yelps of surprise echoed through the trapped chamber as the whole vent came crashing down, falling into the center of the floor of the storage room.

When the dust had settled, the large metal structure was draped across the room, resting atop several mannequins and racks with dresses, still attached towards the top corner of the room. Where the end on the ground had collided, the structure was warped and bent open. A rack of dresses had fallen over onto its side, with three legs sticking out of it—two human, one Meowth.

"Do you smell that, Meowth?" James said, his voice muffled by layers of dresses. When he popped his head up, it was apparent to everyone but himself that he had fallen into a dress, the puffy pink shoulders of a dress puffing up around his face. "That's the smell of decades of overpriced fashion items—all at once!"

"I'da think we's hit the jackpots if we's was trying to become Queen," said Meowth. His voice was muffled, and as James pulled apart dresses he unveiled the stack of hat boxes that Meowth had fallen into. When he lifted the lid, Meowth popped up, three very old hats stacked on his head.

"Didn't you hear earlier? That awfully, ghastly familiar sound?" asked Jessie, quickly getting to her feet, a mink overcoat draped over her shoulders from where she had landed. "I thought it sounded like a Piplup!"

"I's thinks that the smell of 'fashion' is going to your head! Making you loopy!" said Meowth, rubbing his eye from a hat-induced injury.

"No Meowth, I heard it too," said James, looking back. "What shall we do?"

Both Meowth and James looked over to Jessie. She was just standing there, staring off into space.

* * *

 _The streets in Villeterre Town were long and narrow, moving along long stretches of tall, old and decrepit brick buildings. The streets were wet, covered in mud and slush, the rain coming down gently. Tall streetlights shone down their bright white lights into the street, the water shimmering on the surface._

 _Serena walked along quickly through the streets. She had produced the red jacket she had come into town with, having pulled it over her arms and letting it hug her body closely. Her wrecked boots splashed in the muddy streets, her pants long ruined and turned crusty with mud. All around her, in the dark and quiet shadows of the street, she could see the dim outlines of people lingering, watching her from the dark corners._

 _Gritting her teeth, fighting the pain of soreness and exhaustion, Serena stopped in the street and quickly reached into her bag. She forced her hand down past the two broken halves of Sylveon's Pokeball, reaching down and finding another Pokeball. When she pulled it out, she quickly triggered the release button, feeling the Pokeball expanding moments before she tossed into the street beside her._

 _The spinning Pokeball flew threw the air and arced through the rain-streaked sky. As it turned, a bright flash of red light shot down towards the ground. Through the rain, Braixen suddenly appeared, landing on her feet nimbly, a gentle splash coming up around her tiny paws when they landed._

 _"Braixen, come on! We need to get to the station!" said Serena, seeing some of the strangers in the dark corners of the street talking and looking at her._

 _As she quickly collected up the empty Pokeball that had landed in the street, Serena came up alongside Braixen, looking in her eyes. Braixen smiled warmly, nodding, her fur already looking oily and matted in the evening drizzle._

 _The two of them picked up quickly, running down the wet street._

* * *

 _At the ticket booth, a portly ticket collector leaned over the counter, looking back at the old monitor at his desk. The stubble on his chin and jowls had been matted with something greasy and oily, his gnarled teeth silently gnashing on something as he chewed._

 _Down on the metal counter, Serena had set her ticket down on the flat surface—or at least what remained of it. The ticket was soaked and muddy from being in Serena's pocket, the edges coming apart and turning into a pulpy, cottony paste. The ink had smeared, but some of the print was barely legible in what the ticket collector's thick fingers had picked apart._

 _Serena was looking up with a look of determination. She had mud smeared on her cheeks, her golden, bouncy hair soaked down to slicks that hung around her head in a raggedy mess. Thick bags had formed beneath her eyes, the whites fading to a tired, teary red. By her side, Braixen looked more determined, her fur in thick watery slicks all around her face and torso._

 _"Your train left an hour ago ma'am, sorry," said the ticket collector, completely unaffected._

 _"But… But there was an incident! I was held back from coming here! Please, sir, you have to exchange these!" protested Serena. Her muddy fingers scooted the ticket closer to them._

 _The ticket collector brushed the tickets aside, knocking them out over the counter and making them fall to the ground outside the booth. He leaned out, looking up at the sign hung above the counter and pointing up at it._

 _"Tickets to Lumiose City are $500. Next train is in an hour and a half."_

 _Serena gave a passing look back to Braixen, scowling deeply. She reached into her bag for her clutch, pulling it out and opening the leathery folds. As she rifled through the colorful bills she had in her bag, she counted out the amount of Poke she had, her expression faltering. She didn't have much more than $200._

 _"Please sir..." Serena swallowed, looking up at him. She placed the Poke on the counter sliding it to him. "This is all I have. I need to get home badly… Can you please help…? I just need my ticket exchanged..."_

 _The ticket collector looked disparagingly on the few bills of Poke on the counter, then back up to Serena. He gave a filthy smile._

 _"Well… I can help make up the difference, in exchange for a kiss."_

 _Serena blinked, her eyes going wide._

 _Before Serena could say anything, she felt a large heat beside her. She looked over just in time to see a massive column of fire erupting from the stick in Braixen's outstretched arm. A huge Fire Blast erupted, launching directly into the interior of the ticket collector's booth, hitting his face at point blank range. The resulting burst of flames out from the man's head made all the windows in the booth explode out, forcing Serena to cover her face and duck down as miniature shards of glass launched out and flew over onto the ground._

 _The ticket collector's face had turned black. He went cross-eyed, his posture wobbling before he stumbled back, landing against the walls of the booth. His hand fell on the keyboard of the computer._

 _Down in front of the booth, a tiny printer printed a single ticket for a train to Lumiose City. Serena snatched it up, quickly running into the terminal, Braixen following close behind._

 _Just behind, around the corner from the terminal, a woman was lingering. A familiar swoop of magenta bangs hung over her left high, brushed back beneath a pair of sunglasses. A deep gray beanie hugged her head, further disguising her. Her hands were stuffed into her jacket, her pose unassuming and not trying to draw any attention. Her bright red lips twisted up in confusion as she watched silently._

 _Reaching up, her gloved fingers lowered her sunglasses. A familiar pair of blue eyes watched as Serena and Braixen quickly fled the scene—it was Jessie._


	48. Chapter 48

_The train terminal wasn't packed, but it was filled with more people than Serena wanted to be around at that moment in time. She stopped at the entrance, having entered in over to the side, pausing herself for a moment to scan the space. By her side, Braixen came up just behind, her head poking over Serena's shoulders._

 _The benches out in front of Serena, bolted to the ground between tall columns of concrete, were full. People were asleep on the benches, newspapers pulled over themselves. The only one that was free had one person sitting and a room for another person on the same side. It wasn't something Serena was going to risk._

 _Serena migrated to the empty wall. She leaned herself against it, looking wearily at those around her. Braixen came up to rest against the wall beside her, and in kind Serena offered a smile. Braixen returned the smile, leaning herself up against the wall beside Serena. She nuzzled into Serena's wet, muddied jacket, her snout finding the warmth beneath the collar of her shirt where her neck was, nuzzling lightly._

 _"I'm… I'm glad I have someone with me..." said Serena, smiling faintly, her gaze fading as she felt herself growing more and more drowsy._

 _A loud clubbing sound snapped Serena from the momentarily relaxing stupor she had slipped into. When she looked over to the source of the sound, it had come from the wall just beside where Braixen was. Both of them looked over to see a tall, burly-looking police officer, having snapped his nightstick against a metal sign that had been bolted to the wall: 'No Pokemon, No Pokemon Battles'._

 _Serena gave a knowing nod, looking sheepish and embarrassed. She gave one final look over to Braixen, before looking down at her coat and fishing a Pokeball out. Serena pointed the button at Braixen and clicked it, returning Braixen to the Pokeball._

 _Alone, Serena slumped down towards the floor of the terminal, sitting herself down and hugging her legs close. She had two hours to go._

* * *

 _"You look cold."_

 _Serena blinked, her hand raising to rub the sleep away from her eyes. Where she was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall, she was hugging her knees. Her head had been resting against her knees, and when she raised her head to look to her side, she found herself looking up at a rather tall woman—specifically, her own reflection in the woman's sunglasses._

 _"I'll survive..." said Serena, almost mumbling._

 _The woman—Jessie in disguise—was leaning against the wall, stooped over slightly to see Serena on the ground. A long magenta trench coat covered her, hiding her from the elements and disguising her. S_ _he tugged the flaps of the jacket closer, pulling down the deep gray scarf around her neck to cover the collar, feeling it_ _threaten to reveal the large, bright red Team Rocket 'R' in the center of her uniform. Long gray pants—the 'cold weather' part of her uniform met with her tall black boots, the heels raised and toes pointed down._

 _Serena had moved on to her thoughts again, her head just poking above her legs as she held them close. She stared ahead at the tile, the glowing letters of a clock in the corner of her eye letting her know she still had an hour to go._

 _"How about that Braixen of yours? Can't she—or possibly he—keep you warm? You put on quite the show over there in the ticket area," said Jessie, clearing her throat and doing her best to disguise her voice._

 _"You're not here to try and kiss me too, are you?" asked Serena, her cold tone making her joke fall flat._

 _"No! No... Of course not. You just don't look like you belong out here. Vielleterre Town doesn't seem to suit you."_

 _Serena raised her head, giving the woman above her a dirty look. With her tired eyes and her worn expression, Serena looked older, the annoyed look having much more weight to it than it usually did. It seemed to set the woman on edge, even though Serena couldn't seem to see through the dark-tinted sunglasses._

 _"Oh yeah? Well it's a little dark out for sunglasses, too."_

 _Instinctively, Jessie touched the frame of her glasses, losing herself in self-conscious thought. She shook it off, trying to cut through Serena's cold front, at least mentally._

 _"I'm… I'm just trying to figure out what's wrong… And I'm trying to figure out if I can help you..."_

 _"Help me with what?" asked Serena._

 _"Help you with anything. I mean it."_

 _Before Serena could say anything, her head turning with various ideas, she felt a shuffling beside her. The woman was sitting down beside her on the floor, much to Serena's dismay. She sighed and shook her head, rubbing her forehead before the headache coming could reach her. Though the woman was mindful of her space, Serena was deathly uncomfortable, showing it in her body language as she seemed to lock up. Feeling the nearby warmth of the woman was enough, even though something was unsettlingly familiar about her._

 _Giving a tired sigh, Serena raised her head again. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the woman giving her attention in earnest, something reassuring radiating from beneath the sunglasses disguising her face._

 _"There's… There's not much you can help with..." said Serena. "I came to visit a good friend, or someone I thought was a good friend… I found out something about her I shouldn't have found out, and she hurt me… Deeply… And now I don't know what to do..."_

 _Jessie swallowed uncomfortably. Serena hadn't said much, but in effect she had spilled way too much for Jessie. Not used to the new role she was in, the heels of her boots squeaked uncomfortably as she pulled her legs closer, her jacket coming tighter around her body as she tugged at the folds. Her lips twisted up again, turning into a sneer out of habit._

 _"That… That happens..." said Jessie. "It's not all that uncommon to happen..."_

 _"I guess I should've been clearer..." Serena trailed off. "This friend… She was something of an inspiration to me… She seemed to me the path to follow to make my dreams a reality, and she had reached that dream… She just… She just made that path not as fun tonight… Maybe she wasn't the friend I had thought she was..."_

 _"What's wrong with Aria? Is she ill?" asked Jessie._

 _Serena went to respond, but she froze. She looked back at Jessie, her face filled with concern. "Wait… What do you mean…? How did you know it was Aria…?"_

 _All the color drained from Jessie's face. She swallowed, slow and painfully. In her mind, she was remembering the scene of Aria and Serena, but viewed from a distance—viewed from binoculars, from a high-rise hotel window, where she sat in the darkness, her disguise by her side and her Team Rocket uniform on full display in the darkness. She remembered scribbling notes hastily on a notepad by her side, questions she desperately needed answers for. She remembered her shock when she watched Aria collapse—seemingly for no reason._

 _She remembered Serena, being dragged out in the arms of two henchmen._

 _She remembered standing in the rain, just outside the hotel, her disguise shielding her from any view or suspicion possible, a wide black umbrella shielding her further, her attention caught by a screaming only to see moments later Serena on her knees in the street, holding a broken Pokeball._

 _"I… Your outfit! Nobody dresses like that who isn't a Showcase performer," Jessie quickly answered. "I heard Aria was in town for a visit, and Showcase performers always travel in groups."_

 _"Right…" Serena murmured. She didn't show any sign of concern, just deep worry and regret as she turned, her gaze slipping back into her imagination._

 _Though a relieved breath passed through Jessie, she still looked worried for Serena. She sat herself a bit closer, shuffling on the ground, scooting herself along the wall to get a closer glimpse at the conflicted look Serena was giving._

 _"I think you'd be surprised by the character of some people… People are complicated, you see," said Jessie, choosing her words carefully. "Some are good, some are bad—or at least it seems. But people are complicated—people are both. Everyone you know has a good side and a bad side. You may have just discovered the bad side of someone, that's all. Aria is still your friend, she just made a bad decision."_

 _To Jessie's surprise, she watched as Serena got up from the wall, taking a few steps away from where she had been sitting by her side. Serena paused for a moment, standing completely still. By her sides, Jessie saw, Serena's fingers were balling up into fists. The sight made Jessie shrink back, bringing herself closer to the wall._

 _Serena then turned and looked back at Jessie. Fresh tears had appeared beneath her eyes, hanging precariously over a trail in the dirt on her cheeks where tears had already passed. She was sniffling, trying to hold back but lacking the strength to do so in her exhaustion. Her lips twisted up, her teeth gnashing together as she looked in contempt at Jessie._

 _"I don't need anyone's help right now."_

* * *

"Whadd'ya think?" Meowth grinned proudly, boasting a bowler hat on his head. A loose, disconnected shirt collar hung around his neck, a limp red tie slumping down over his belly, between his legs and over where an arm should have been on an old mannequin as Meowth stood proudly. "Looks like tha masterses of disguises that is Team Rocket just hit the jackpot!"

"Catching that precious Sylveon is no small achievement, but getting an elusive, bratty Piplup is too much incentive for such conniving minds as ours," said James. "With such an arsenal at our disposal, Team Rocket will make short work of the brats and their Pokemon!"

"There's no Sylveon to catch," said Jessie, much quieter than her normal tone of voice.

James had changed into something that made him look like a baron, a dapper suit of grays, blacks and whites on him with a massive brown fur coat that could've only once belonged to an Usaring. A tall, gray fedora was tipped over his forehead, a large purple plumy feather jutting from the top. An old brass monocle had fit neatly between his narrowed brow and his wrinkled nose, and old wooden pipe clamped firmly between his teeth.

Opening his mouth, James caught the pipe in his hand, looking over at Jessie. "Wait a minute. Jessie, what's wrong?" he asked.

By James' side, Meowth held a similar pipe clamped between his teeth. His tail caught it when he opened his mouth. "Yeah Jessie, what's got your tongue? Me-owth?"

Jessie was silent, her back to the two of them.

"How... _Dare_ she," Jessie seethed, hissing between her teeth, her eyes threatening to pop from her skull.

Both James and Meowth watched, silently.

"How _dare_ she reject my help," Jessie said, turning. She rose up, becoming much more imposing and more threatening, making James and Meowth shrink back. "I'll..."

"Jessie, think carefully about what you're about to say," said James.

" _I'll show her what help looks like!_ "


	49. Chapter 49

The sun had dipped beneath the clouds. A deep blue haze of evening filled the sky, a thin band of blue at the very edge of the horizon holding the last vestiges of daylight for the day. What few clouds there were in the sky were quickly blending with the darkening sky, obscuring patches of stars that were beginning to twinkle through.

At the base of the dark cliffs that encroached the shore, tall vertical faces making a jagged, inconsistent wall along the sandy coastline, a festival of sorts had begun on the beach. Tall tents of simple tropical construction had been setup, along with more elaborate structures of wood and palm leaves, making for gazebos and outdoor bars, shops and small alcoves for relaxing and conversating. A tall bonfire had been made in the center of the festival's encampments, providing light for the whole festival in gigantic fireball, several Delphox on hand to help control the fire while at the same time trying to make it as big as possible. Various tall torches had been setup throughout the festival area, tall spikes of bamboo carrying lumps of pitch and other flaming materials where they stuck out of the ground. Around many of the tall gazebos and open-air coverings, strings of lights cascaded between the various posts of structures, swinging in the gentle sea breeze.

Serena could feel the pure, intense heat of the fire from dozens of feet away, where she sat in a covered area, in a chair facing a table. Though the ambient light of the fire made her side glow and flicker, her front was bathed in the light of her laptop screen.

"Have you heard of the plays on Costa Nova?" asked Dawn.

"The what?" asked Serena.

* * *

 **RenegadeSpirit asks:**

 **Hello! I got a few question I need to ask**

 **1\. Are you single, or dating?**

 **2\. Ash think you are stunning. Perhaps Serena and Ash would date?**

 **3\. Serena was and still is beautiful. Agree, or disagree?**

 **4\. Bonnie was sweet and cute, and Clemont was amazing. I think Clemont was a bit afraid though. Perhaps we sound to talk about random and goofy so that we can laugh and be a bit brighter side of it.**

 **5\. Waffles! Love them, or not?**

* * *

Something thumped against the wooden surface of the table. Serena looked up just in time to watch as Dawn set half of a hollowed-out coconut shell, made into a mug, filled with a soupy-looking drink. As she stared at it in confusion, watching as Dawn took a small papery umbrella and stuck it into the white walls of the coconut, Dawn set her own coconut shell down, sitting beside Serena.

"Here, try it," Dawn smiled, nodding towards the coconut shell closest to Serena, the furry surface lingering in the breeze of Serena's laptop cooling fan. She took her own coconut shell, bringing it to her lips and sipping quietly.

* * *

 **1\. Are you single or dating?**

 _Definitely single. Thanks for asking!_

* * *

The drink looked innocent enough to Serena. She took the coconut shell into her hand, a chill running up her arm when she felt the furry surface brush against her palms. She lifted the shell up, fighting the tickling sensation on her lips as she brought it around for a drink.

Serena's face instantly soured. Her eyes squinted shut, her lips twisting up. Despite her best intentions, her cheeks lit up brightly. She set the half down, swallowing and choking gently, her tongue licking her lips to try and brush the taste off somehow.

Dawn watched on, both amused and worried. "Too bitter?" she asked.

"S-Sweet..." Serena croaked. "Too sweet..."

* * *

 **2\. Ash think you are stunning. Perhaps Ash and Serena would date?**

 _Stunning? Well, thank you! But I am curious… How do you know Ash? And… How do you know I'm stunning? I mean, I appreciate the complement, but… You know…_

 _Thanks for asking!_

* * *

Among the gentle, wavering strumming of a guitar, a man's voice sailing over the chords as he sang, the thumping of a large drum cut through the chatter of people at the festival. Several loud, shouting voices harmonized with the singer, the music picking up into something more fun and spirited. The drums thumped, the guitar's strumming becoming louder and more passionate.

Many people had come to the festival on the beach, lingering and chatting happily with others. They ate and drank, wandering through different places where food had been set up. Games had been set up, some settling for card games at tables and chatting, while others were throwing balls, playing catch and throwing for goals against wooden boards. In the dark edges of the festival, further down where the beach was, people throwing Frisbees and running through the darkness with their Pokemon could barely be seen. Large clearings had been made, roped off and set with torches in the corners, beset by benches on either side—a space made for Pokemon battles. People of all ages, young and old, had come. Some were dressed for summer, with women wearing sundresses and men wearing only shorts. Some had come in bathing suits, others in traditional clothing with kimonos and robes. Some had dressed more tropical than others—dressed like the barefoot hula dancers in the same vicinity, whose swaying grass skirts lingered near the fire they danced around.

"Putting in some more work on your blog, huh?"

Serena looked up. She had been typing. By her side, just around the table's corner, Dawn was still sitting, enjoying her beverage.

* * *

 **3\. Serena is and was still beautiful. Agree, or disagree?**

 _Am I still beautiful? Or… Serena?_

 _Um, I think I understand. You mean to ask whether or not I'm still beautiful? Whether or not I think that?_

 _I mean... I think I'm beautiful... I don't mean that in an arrogant or flashy way, but I'm definitely someone who cares a lot about my own appearance. Serena… I mean, me… I'm probably considered to be fairly pretty... I think that there are a lot of times when I am beautiful, but there are also a lot of days when I am not beautiful—or at least I don't feel beautiful._

 _That's to say that... If you meant you were talking about physical beauty. If it's natural beauty, then well, I suppose it's pretty debatable._

 _If it's inner beauty, well, that's hard for one to say._

* * *

"Oh… Yeah..." Serena said. Her voice trailed off mid-sentence, like she was hearing herself for the first time _—_ like she realized what she was doing with her laptop out for the first time. Her eyes lingered over the screen, where her fingers had poised over the keys, prepared to write another sentence. Her hands came down to rest, her fingers smoothing over the palm rests of the laptop, feeling where the smooth surface had become oily.

"Please! Don't let me bother you, carry on!" said Dawn, nodding encouragingly. "Please, write more! I've been sneaking peeks at your blog every-so-often, and I think it's really good!"

"I..." Serena began. She was cut off, mostly by herself. Her gaze faltered, her posture slipping back for a moment in a moment of self-doubt, a look that lingered when Dawn filled in the gap in conversation.

"I know how hard it can be to find time to write—I mean, it seems that you haven't had too many updates to your blog lately," said Dawn, in-between drinks. "Although, having too much to do is probably the best problem to have right now."

* * *

 _I believe that most people are generally good—or at least try to be. I mean… That's just what I feel… I'm not a genius, I'm just fourteen. It's just something I've picked up from traveling and being around a lot of people._

 _I also believe that everyone has a little… dark spot. It's a smudge—a smudge that never seems to go away, no matter how hard you try to scrub it away. It's a side that acts out every once and awhile. It's not an excuse for when things go wrong—I don't mean to excuse my own bad behavior at all—but I mean to say that everyone has a little bad in them. People act out, they rebel, they make choices they know deep down aren't right, but they do it for some reason._

 _I… I used not to believe this… Someone told me this and I didn't believe it at the time…_

 _But now I do._

* * *

"Actually… It's quite the opposite..." Serena smiled, sheepishly.

Dawn looked surprised. She sat herself forward in her chair, leaning against the table's surface, more closely observing Serena.

"How so…?"

Serena swallowed timidly. Her eyes slowly rose from where she had been looking at the laptop's screen.

"Well… I write because… I started this blog because I was… Bored."

"Bored?" Dawn asked.

"Bored..."

* * *

 _It took me some time, but eventually I learned to realize that whoever it was that told me that wasn't telling me to believe that everyone I know is secretly evil. It's to know that, despite people's best intentions, people make mistakes. Despite their flaws, people strive to be good._

 _All people are flawed. All people do their best to be good._

 _We make mistakes, sometimes and a lot of times. Sometimes people get hurt._

 _It doesn't explain away that Sylveon was hurt in the way of my own mistake, but it's strangely comforting. I mean the best for Sylveon, in everything I do, but it doesn't mean that I can stop the worst from happening. It happens to all of us_ _—_ _it will happen to all of us. There are some things that I can't save Sylveon from, and one of those things is myself. There will be times where I will fail Sylveon, and right now is one of those times._

 _It is a terrifying realization to have, but to let it terrorize me forever is to let the dark spot of my soul overwhelm and cover up what is truly beautiful. To embrace that inequity is to let the beauty of my soul shine through, and to let the beauty of all souls shine through to light my own. Without the light of others—the beauty of other people's souls—there will be times where I fail to light my own soul._

 _Because there will be times where I do truly fail Sylveon, but there will be times when I save Sylveon._

* * *

"I… I guess I just started it as a way to pass the time," said Serena. "I think I just needed a way to vent."

"It's a rather nice laptop," said Dawn. Her eyes wandered over the deep bronze case of the laptop, seeing the light of the bonfire flicker in the brass edges and the cream-colored emblem on the front. "How'd you get it?"

Serena smiled. "It was a gift. It came at just the right time, I suppose."

* * *

 _I think I sound religious or spiritual when I say these things_ _—_ _I'm really undecided with that stuff_ _—_ _but there are things like these I know to be true, no matter how silly they sound. They feel true, like nothing else has felt truer before._

 _Because, deep down, though I know whoever it was that told me these things seemed to not know the words she was saying_ _—or at least didn't think she had the confidence to give them. They were_ _something she felt at the time didn't seem like something she could say and yet somehow needed to say them—she deep down knew them to be true. She didn't know how it would impact me, but those words are so incredibly valuable and grateful to me._

 _I know the truth now, that everyone is beautiful in their own way. That in that I am beautiful as well._

 _Thank you._

 _And thanks for your question!_


	50. Chapter 50

Faraway from the ocean's edge, the tribal-sounding drums and the swaying, rhythmic guitar still reached the sea. The chants and singing of a multitude of people weren't that far off, either.

The powerful bonfire's light was warm over the sands, fading as the sand turned darker from the deep wet influence of the waves. A set of dainty female footprints had been set in a path that led down to the ocean's edge. Midway through the set of tracks, a new, tiny pair of paw prints appeared, walking alongside the human footprints.

Serena's sandals dangled from the heel straps, hanging off her fingers. The floral print of the dress batted against her knees and swayed around in the blustering air of the sea. She had given up trying to hold it down, letting the sea whip through her at will. Lacing a finger through the small band at the end of her hair's length, letting it come loose and her hair fly around in the dense breeze.

"Braixaaa!"

Serena giggled. Ahead of her, Braixen had taken her first brave steps into the deep wet sand, where the thin layer of water had settled. Among the black form of the sea, thin white lines could be seen out beneath some of the heavier, slow moving waves, the outlines of smaller waves that raced to meet the shore, coming quickly towards the smooth glassy sand.

Giving a toothy, freeing smile, Braixen turned to wave at Serena, lifting her prized stick high and proudly. The fur all around her batted silently in the rushing, shrill wind, her ears turning down by the pressing force.

Just ahead of Braixen, the quick approaching wave traveled in a thick layer, rushing over the smooth sand at incredible speed. Through the dark, smooth forms of the sand, Serena identified a rock just a few feet out from Braixen. Instead of slowing like the rest of the wave, the water hit the rock and splashed up, a sharp arc of sea spray crashing up and showering down on Braixen. All Serena could see of her was a dark form hidden through a cloud of bright, fresh and chilly-looking water, the shrill sounds of Braixen screaming coming through the fresh sounds of water.

Serena laughed, nearly bringing herself to tears. As she giggled, she watched as Braixen stumbled out of the chilled water on awkward legs, trying to relight the tip of her stick as quickly as she could. In defiance at Serena's humiliating laughs, she kicked up a splash of water with her paw, forcing Serena to take some of the cold as well.

A dark wave passed over Serena, the bright center of light that was the bonfire momentarily eclipsed. As she looked back, forgetting about the waves in front of her, she saw several blankets lifting, waving around the fire and seeming to dance around it, people holding them like flags or banners as they danced around the flames, running and chatting happily. In the new darkness, Serena watched as a girl approached, only the outline of her visible in the darkness. The whole moment seemed to pass in slow motion, as eventually the fire's light was blocked out again, and Serena could see the details of the person approaching—it was Dawn. Dawn's glasses glowed in the flickering light, the dark hue of her shirt only showing the printed colors once she had passed into a thin band of moonlight, showing on her figure. She held her plain, black canvas sneakers in her hand, her fingers hooked inside just like Serena had held her sandals, only a pair of socks was dangling out. The slim black pants had been rolled up, exposing her bare ankles and letting her traverse comfortably barefoot.

Serena was too focused on Dawn's approaching figure, the constantly changing intensity of the firelight as the blankets passed over and cut out the large glow made the whole area seem surreal. She thought she had seen someone else approaching, but it could just as well have been an illusion in the darkness.

Another cold wave came crashing in, making Serena's dress bluster up and around her hips, fresh sea spray battering her body as the sea came in. She heard another shrill cry from Braixen just behind her, hearing the joy rather than the cold surprise in this one. When she looked back, she saw Braixen poised over the swirling waves, looking down between her spindly legs as fresh sea water rushed up over the sand. Though looking soaked, Braixen was incredibly happy, looking pleased to be free and out on the shore.

"Pip-lup!"

Serena looked down past her legs, where a dimly-lit, diminutive blue figure was waddling in towards the water. A mere half inch of water rushed up over his stumpy, near non-existent legs, threatening to topple him with any more. He waddled up to stand beside Braixen, the top of his head barely coming up to her tufty hips. He threw his flippers up into the air, cheering proudly as a fresh wave of water came in, coming up to Braixen's torso and high over Piplup's head.

Though Serena had audibly cringed, lurching forward and reaching towards him, Dawn was shortly behind, beating her towards saving Piplup in any instance. She had hopped forward, her legs trudging through the sloshing, fresh wave as it settled and pulled back towards the sea, running up towards where Piplup had been standing just short of Braixen. When the wave had settled, the rising water sinking down towards a normal level, Piplup was still exactly where he was—just more wet than he had been moments earlier. The water was sinking beneath his pauch belly, quickly drawn out towards the building waves, and Piplup having not moved an inch. If anything, Braixen was shrinking back, hopping out of the way on a single leg in a futile attempt to get her current leg out of the water. Piplup was just rubbing his beak off with his flipper, snorting out water and looking otherwise pleased with himself.

Holding both of Piplup's raised fins in her hands, stooping over, Dawn walked with Piplup back up towards the sand, cleared of the waves. Following her lead, Serena called Braixen back, hopping up to follow.

"Dawn, what was that you were saying about plays earlier? You're talking like stage plays, in a theater, right?" asked Serena. She had turned a blind eye to Dawn, calling out over the winds as she watched Braixen trot up through the pooling waters, hurrying towards her in an attempt to free herself of the frigid water. When she looked back, she held back a gasp.

Dawn was standing up at the edge of the dry sand, handing a towel down to Piplup by where she had set her shoes down. She was holding a backpack—something Serena hadn't seen with her before, and with good reason. Someone new was with her.

A tall, elegant woman was standing on the sand, wearing a teal blue blouse and a pair of olive-colored pants. Her long blonde hair was dense and heavy, smoothed and straightened to cascade down from her head smoothly like a goddess. A pair of thin black barettes framed her blonde hair around her face, a pair of golden eyes looking out beneath blonde bangs.

It was Cynthia.

"Champion... Champion Cynthia...!" Serena stammered, looking up in awe at her. She slowed her approach, reaching the edge of the wet sand before she stopped completely. Even Braixen, arriving by her side, looked up in awe.

Cynthia gave a smile. "Please, the title of champion goes to my protege," she laughed softly, gesturing towards Dawn.

Serena switched her gaze, looking back at a mildly sheepish Dawn. "Champion...?"

"I thought I heard Desi say something along those lines. It's true, as embarrassing as it is," Dawn said, rubbing the back of her head.


	51. Chapter 51

"Hey Clemont!"

Clemont was standing at his workbench, set up in the lounge area of Desi's Boutique. The backpack it had sprouted from was still on the ground, kept steady by several lander-like legs that held the structure sturdy. In the center of a tray, lined with small modules in the corners that scanned the device, the two Pokeball halves that belonged to Sylveon were resting. A mesh of laser lights warped over the surface of the ball, several translucent data cables attaching to nodes on the inside of the Pokeball and flashing as data transferred to the computer. On screen, Sylveon's digital image had appeared, showing her to be in hibernation.

As Clemont turned his head back towards a door in the alcove, his face was already turning bright red. He had recognized the voice.

* * *

 **JettRyu asks:**

 **What do you think of Alola, Serena? If you go, will you buy new swimwear?**

* * *

Shauna was leaning against the doorway, her arms behind her sheepishly, her leg rubbing against the other one in a nervous display. She took a step from where she was leaning, her finger lacing through a length of hair and twisting gently around her finger, as she walked closer towards Clemont, entering the largely cleared meeting space.

It hadn't been clear to Clemont before—he had been too distracted by the mere fact that Shauna was there—but Shauna was wearing a swimsuit. A pair of white straps hugged her shapely shoulders, meeting with the upper half of the bikini and making for a white stripe that crossed and curved down through the two pads. The bikini top was pink, her typical hue, with a single black bow in the center. An expanse of coffee-colored, smooth and toned belly had been exposed just beneath the bikini top, before the other pink half of her bikini hugged her hips. Two black bows had been placed on the edges of her hips, just above her shifting, rubbing thighs.

Clemont didn't have anything to say. His face went from red, to maroon red, then to purple. His legs wobbled silently, a gentle croaking escaping his throat.

"C-Clemont!" Shauna gasped, hopping up nervously. She hurried across the room, running to Clemont's side as he collapsed over. She caught him just in time, throwing her arms around him and helping to prop him up. Her had gone limp, her body hunched over as she did her best to help him up, his legs sprawled out in front of him.

Clemont's head was dazed, spinning silently. His glasses had come off and become skewed. His lips were drooling with abandon. His head raised for a moment, looking up at Shauna and locking eyes with her.

"S-Shauna... Are you wearing a swimsuit...?"

"Yeah! I thought you could help me choose from a few. Swimsuits are really in season right now, as well as other Alolan fashion. Maybe help me brush up on my modeling skills?"

His head flopped back. Clemont fainted.

* * *

The large wooden doors to the lounge space opened slightly, just enough for three heads to poke through—Jessie, James and Meowth, all stacked on top of each other. They looked into the space, at where Clemont's portable workbench had been setup.

"Guess we's don't needs that wild distraction we had planned," said Meowth.

James' face soured. "I suppose I'm not the only one who thought to model a swimsuit today..."

Jessie looked up and Meowth looked down, both looking at James.

* * *

When the large wooden doors opened again, Jessie, James and Meowth all stepped through, entering the space, dressed once more in their Team Rocket uniforms. As soon as they entered they all pressed themselves to the back wall, sneaking against it, ensuring they were the only ones in the space—they were, leaving them alone with Clemont's workbench.

"Alright. Let's get ourselveses a Sylveon!" Meowth cheered, pumping his fist in the air. He hopped ahead, moving himself towards the workbench. Just behind him, James pulled out a small bag, opening it wide, following.

"Refusing my help... Such a bratty thing to do..." Jessie hissed.

Both Meowth and James froze, midway to the workbench. They both looked at each other, sharing a wilting look.

Jessie stepped forward, her gloved fist curling and held out in front of her. She snarled, giving a deep and angry grimace.

"I didn't have to offer my help... I didn't have to stoop down to her level and talk to her. I could've just let her be! Get in our hot air balloon and take off from that wretched town, wander back towards Lumiose City or do _literally anything else_. I had the chance to take advantage of her, robbing her blind, taking that precious Sylveon and every other _precious_ Pokemon—goodness, it could've made for a rather heartwrenching ransom for Pikachu. But _no_!"

James was at the workbench, typing on the terminal's keyboard and closing out a few programs. The data cable connected to the Pokeball flashed a few times before glowing a solid red, giving James the chance to disconnect it. Jessie's words made him cringe, but he shrugged it off, focusing on his work.

"Wells," Meowth said, shrugging. "Maybe's the lesson here's to not help at all. Maybe's the lesson'ses not to spy on people's for Showcase secrets, not get ourselveses involved in some other bratses junk, you know?"

Jessie was on Meowth in seconds, stooping down in front of him and waving her fist at him. She made Meowth shrink back against James' leg, looking up at her in fear.

" _It was our obligation to get involved!_ Why should we have such an unfair disadvantage to her when she's getting secrets from the _current Kalos Queen_! That's the kind of behavior people go to jail for! It's... Immoral!"

All three Rockets froze, looking to the far corner of the room. The door had opened, and Clemont had stepped through.

James had placed one half of the Pokeball in the bag, the other in his hand as he looked back. Both him and Clemont looked at the Pokeball, then back to each other.


	52. Chapter 52

Serena hadn't realized how wet the sea had gotten her. In the dim space of the cavern, with the towel in hand, she was quickly drying her hair. Running her fingers through her hair, she could feel just how wet it all still was. Even the material of her dress felt wet against her skin, colder now that they had arrived in the cave.

The rocky walls sloped up through darkness, a path of smooth rock leading up to a dark entrance at the top. Several torches had been set at the entrance to the cave, flickering with bright flames and making the cave interior seem warmer than it actually was. Up ahead, further down where long and old power cables had been strung along the the walls, the greenish glow of lamps glowed in the darkness, lighting the rest of the cave ahead.

Dawn was walking up from the entrance of the cave. A Mismagius was drifting just outside on the sandy entrance, the red gemstone at the apex of its chest glowing as it produced a magic spell, casting waves of energy over the entrance to the wall. From the inside of the cave, Serena could see through the field of energy that had been created, looking through the inverted facade of a rocky wall—Mismagius was disguising the entrance from others, at Dawn's command.

The backpack Dawn had worn was open wide, her arm reaching in and shifting through items as she walked up the path. She had placed the Pokeball belonging to Mismagius back inside, leaving it be. Her shoes had been set inside, a pair of black flip-flops placed on her sandy, muddied feet.

As she passed by Serena, she took the towel that Serena was offering to her and placed it inside her backpack, stuffing it rather haphazardly.

"I guess I shouldn't have guessed that we weren't just coming here for some kind of beach party," Serena smiled sheepishly, giving a glance at Braixen and where she was standing beside her before turning her attention fully back onto Dawn.

"No, it's not just that," Dawn smiled. Piplup appeared between her legs, walking ahead onto the path. "And by the way, in Alola it's called a 'Luau'."

Serena looked confused, following Dawn up the path. "Alola...?"

* * *

The interior of the cave was awash in a hazy green light, coming from artificial lights strung in the high corners of the cave, hung further than Serena could see. The dark corners of the cave rose incredibly high, every small movement in the cave echoing to incredible heights before reaching back down towards the ground.

In the center of the cave's open space, a tall, rocky platform stood in the center. The majority of the lights in the cave shone on the top platform of the plateau, all pointed towards something Serena couldn't see. Dozens of thick cables snaked up over the side of the rocky surface, leading to devices on top, linking them to a plethora of tall, older-looking machines down on the base floor of the cave. A rocky path curved around the rounded center platform, leading up towards the top of the platform.

"You were asking about the plays?"

Serena turned. She had been completely transfixed by the happenings in the cave, so much that she hadn't even seen Cynthia approach from aside. She looked at her, still in awe that she had even come to be in her presence—almost believing it to be a dream. Somewhat bewildered, Serena rubbed her arm, shrinking back.

"Oh… Yeah… Dawn brought them up earlier," said Serena. "I guess I was just… A bit curious, is all. It seems kinda moot at this point, though. This all seems much more… Important."

Though Serena was just standing outside the entrance to the cave, the point where the path that led from the beach-front led up and sloped down into the larger area, she was at a sort-of central landing, equidistant from the path that sloped up towards the larger platform and the alcove of lab-like equipment setup around the dark corners of the platform's base. Cynthia was lingering in among the lab equipment, standing near aides who operated at the tall, haphazardly-stacked devices and recorded data from spinning electrographs and ticking computer readouts. She had changed from her beach wear, having put on her trademark long black overcoat—something that brought to Serena's attention just how cold she was.

Cynthia cracked a playful grin, something unbecoming of her—at least from Serena's knowledge. She stepped aside, letting Serena in as she walked closer, watching curiously as Serena looked closely at all the different devices that had been set up.

"The two are connected, I assure you," Cynthia smiled.

A tall stack of machines had a small desk set up at the edge. A younger-looking scientist sat in a swiveling chair, the legs of the chair poised uncomfortably on the rocky surface beneath. He set at the desk, recording into a journal observations alongside a detailed sketch of an electrograph. Just above, on a machine standing atop the compact desk had a rounded, green-lit radar, detailing a spectrum of different anomalies in the vicinity of the cave with a central point marked—the object on the center of the platform. The diagram in his sketchbook matched that graph.

Beside the scientist at his desk, a long aluminum table had been set up with another scientist attending to it, with a large, wide printer at the far end of it and a small computer workstation at the opposite end. He fed a long, tapestry-like paper down the length of the table, feeding it out of a printer that was printing large, seismic-like graphs onto the page. The monitor of the workstation detailed the exact same diagram, though lacking the notes that another scientist was hastily scribbling onto the page.

"The plays have been a bit of a fun project for Dawn. In fact, it's one of the draws that brought us to Costa Nova," said Cynthia. "Dawn has taken to being a bit of a writer lately, helping to develop her own short play to perform in the Costa Nova competition."

"Oh…?" Serena's attention was lightly pulled away with that thought, looking away from the large spikes on the graph paper. The lights flickered overhead, making a large, powerful generator in the back of the cave rumble for a few moments. On the large, spooling page, another large spike was printed on.

"Yes, in fact, I had asked her to go see you while I was attending to this, hoping to rope you into her project. It might be kind of a fun bridge from your turn as a Showcase performer," said Cynthia. "Sounds like you roped her into some other things, as it turns out."

Serena looked back at Cynthia. She had walked towards the back of where the machines were stacked, looking towards where Cynthia stood in the center of it all.

"Why me…?"

"You were here," said Cynthia. "That, and your blog."

"My blog…?" asked Serena. She seemed afraid at the mention of it, her body language shrinking back more from Cynthia. "What about it…? It's just sort of a fun exercise… Just something to pass the time..."

"But you are so talented! You have such a unique voice, and I'm glad you were given the chance to unlock that voice. I've always suspected that you might have some interesting things to say, just from what Dawn has told me. It's good to see it put to good use."

"Dawn…? My voice…?"

Just behind Cynthia, Dawn appeared from the dark wings of the cavern, several feet away. She stood, looking in on the scene between Dawn and Cynthia. She looked solemn, quiet, contemplative.

For a moment, a single phrase flashed through Serena's mind. _Write something!_

"Dawn has been keeping close tabs with Clemont, just writing back and forth with one another. He had wanted to ask me about any research I may have heard of with the Ash-Greninja phenomenon, but I turned him over to Dawn to see if they could find out together. That's when I heard about the Showcases, about Palermo, and about Sylveon," said Cynthia.

Serena swallowed. She looked past Cynthia for a moment, seeing where Dawn was several feet away, before looking back up into Cynthia's eyes.

"Now that Showcases have been over, Dawn had come to me with an idea—that you might be able to join forces with her to help Dawn complete her play, helping to perform as well as write," said Cynthia.

"What…?"

"Serena," Dawn spoke up, appearing by Cynthia's side. "The laptop was my idea. I put 'write something' in there."


	53. Chapter 53

"Part of our study is mythology," said Dawn. "We are trying to decipher the mysteries of myth and determine their origins. Part of the way that we do that is we study literature."

"Dawn has taken to writing literature to attempt to understand the methodology that most people use to create literature, what makes it effective and what keeps literature relevant in the culture it is born out of. One of the perks of my research is that I get to look into various artifacts and real elements of myth—our world has more crossover with mythology than any other known," said Cynthia.

"Good writers attempt to say what is true and describe what is real. Sometimes that is the hardest task any person can tackle," said Dawn.

"Kalos doesn't have any cultural myths," said Cynthia. "It has fairytales. All of those myths that Kalos may have had were wiped out by the Great War, and any of the remaining myths that we have are from that time. I have been searching through Kalos to accumulate all of the myths and fairytales, trying to study them and determine their links to reality. It has been an arduous study that has finally brought me to Costa Nova, searching for one of the last myths I have to document here."

"Part of what links fairytales to reality is that Kalos has a long history of literature that seems to explode after the Great War," said Dawn. "Fairytales are what link modern literature to myth. Instead of describing elements of the early world and the interaction of early human civilization with the worlds of nature and Pokemon, Kalos is trying to describe more modern issues and struggles. The world of Kalos is suffering, hurting, and people are trying to comprehend what that means. Pokemon were the friends of people, never designed to hurt like Yveltal had hurt them. Fairytales are morality tales, and they have commentary on the nature of people, Pokemon and the whole world around them."

"What few remaining fairytales in existence have been converted into plays, right before the second literary explosion in Kalos of plays and theaters," said Cynthia. "It is the most significant literary form Kalos has contributed to the modern world and thus the one that Kalos celebrates most. Festivals with performances of small, short plays are common this time of year in Costa Nova."

"I had decided that, while Cynthia was completing her last stop in Costa Nova, I would attempt to write and put forth a play to perform in the festival, but I needed some help—Cynthia helped fund the idea of giving you a laptop and helped get in touch with Grace—I mean, your mom," said Dawn. "It was one-part gift for completing the Showcase Circuit—and, well, saving Kalos, of course—but also to see if writing might become one of your interests. When I had talked with Clemont, he mentioned that you were always turning some thought in your head, and I figured that would translate excellently into some kind of blog or journal. I had planned to meet you, Clemont, Bonnie and Ash for dinner some time as a surprise to ask if you had chosen to write anything, but the plan changed when Clemont brought up that you were still distraught over Sylveon."

Serena had been frozen completely still, standing beside one of the machines in the cave. Both Dawn and Cynthia faced her, looking down at her as she took in all that they had been saying.

Raising her head, Serena looked thoughtfully at the both of them.

"The laptop was your idea… To see if I would write anything..."

"It's not so evil, really," Dawn smiled. "I thought it would be a win-win for us both. Even if you didn't get a write, you had a laptop with no obligations to anyone—that's why we kept it anonymous, so you wouldn't force yourself."

"And… You want me to help you…? I'm going to help write a play…?" asked Serena.

"The competition is to write a play and perform in it—something of a soliloquy," said Cynthia. "It's completely optional, just a thought."

"Serena, I know that the future is uncertain—you know that first hand. Our intentions were simple, we just wanted to plant some ideas and expand your horizons," said Dawn. "If you want to help, it could be fun, but don't feel any pressure. We just want you to know that you have options if you ever feel directionless out there."

"But… If not to pressure me… Then why am I here? In this cave…?" Serena said, her eyes wandering around the immense cave they were in the middle of.

"For meddling so much, we felt we owed it to you to put some of your fears to rest… A rare opportunity..." Cynthia smiled.

* * *

Cynthia and Dawn stepped over the last bit of the sloping path and onto the top of the rocky plateau, walking into the bright lights of above. They parted, giving Serena the chance as she walked onto the edge of the plateau, stepping into the same light that they had. She raised a hand, blocking out the bright lights as she looked across the plateau, gasping.

At the edge of the plateau, a tall mirror stood. It had an old wooden frame around it, one that looked beaten and worn away with age, showing signs of the ornate carvings and shape that it had once held the shape of. The glass surface had been cleaned, looking clear and perfect despite its age, looking dark and murky beneath the surface. The place that it stood looked as though it had been there for ages—possibly hundreds of years—with the legs partially stuck in the old gray rock. All around where it stood, devices and scanners had been placed, small boxes with scanning surfaces placed on the floor with cables snaking back two a machine towards the edge of the plateau, one that sent cables back down over the rocky edge and down towards the devices Serena had been around before.

As Serena walked forward, the lone sound of her sandals scraping against the rocky floor echoing through the heights of the cave, she looked deeper into the surface of the mirror, realizing it was impossible for her to see anything through the murky surface. Down on the ground, a line of tape had been set on the ground, a few feet away from the mirror.

"There are times when myth and reality cross over and have interesting, unexplainable outcomes," said Cynthia. "This is one of those times. This is an artifact long thought to be completely fictional and mythological, discovered only recently to be a reality."

Though Serena had stopped short of the line of tape, she looked across at the mirror. Her eyes widened as she came to a silent, horrifying realization—her reflection wasn't in the mirror. It reflected everything behind and around her, seeing right through her.

"Serena, this is the Mirror of Outcomes," said Dawn. "It shows the viewer all the futures and destinies of that which the viewer wishes to see. It has accurately predicted the future repeatedly, perfectly."

Without saying anything, Serena slowly stepped up to the line, placing her toes on the edge. Her fingers balled up into fists by her side, her chest heaving as a nervous breath passed through her.

The mirror seemed to swim, the image warping. Serena thought she could see her reflection, a blurred image as she shifted in place, seeing a colorful and warped image of herself move in the dim reflection of the mirror's glass. As she squinted to see, the color of her reflection was becoming more vivid, much brighter and more real. Something seemed off about her image, and as the image became more and more detailed, she realized it wasn't a reflection of herself—it was a reflection of Aria.

Serena let out a shout—a yelp of surprise—suddenly lurching back and looking all around. She looked behind her, seeing that Aria wasn't there. When she looked back at the mirror, her reflection had disappeared—it was just as dark and murky as it had been before.

To her side, standing closer to the edge of the plateau than to Serena, Cynthia and Dawn looked on like nothing was wrong. They both bore curious smiles.

"Go on," said Cynthia. "Experience the true power of the mirror."

Serena stepped back on the line. The mirror image of Aria bled through in bright, swimming colors, eventually becoming as vivid as if she had been standing in front of Serena. She was lit like there was a spotlight coming from above her, her strawberry-blonde hair shimmering in the bright light. A perky smile had appeared on her, her eyes bright and reassuring beneath her darkened brow. She looked casual—dressed in a hoodie, jeans and boots, looking close to the way she had when Serena had seen her the night earlier. A healed, faint cut was present on her lip and just beneath the edge of her bangs—both Serena remembered from when she had fainted.

 _"Hello Serena."_

Blinking, Serena didn't step back this time. She withheld her shock and surprise. When she looked back at Cynthia and Dawn, it was as though they hadn't heard it. To Serena, it was clear that it had been Aria.

 _"Serena, it's me, Aria."_

Serena's head turned like it was moving through a pool of frigid water, looking back in total shock. Her eyes were wide, her pupils shrunken down to pinpricks, her lips turned pale and turned into her mouth.

The mirror had come closer.

Serena was about to respond, when suddenly—

* * *

 _A vast field of wild grass._

 _The sun is setting just above the hills, sinking down towards the horizon, painting the skies a bright honey color._

 _The air is sweet and smells fresh, carried by a breeze that gently and warmly reminds that summer is coming._

 _"Hey!"_

 _Behind, just up through a sloping field where a patch of golden hay fronds crown a subtle hilltop, a young girl with wild and long brown hair is running down through the field, trying not to stumble over the ends of her blue dress._

 _A taller, older woman is chasing behind her, running down the hill._

 _It's Aria._

 _Aria is older, but she's healthy, in perfectly good shape and just as beautiful as she had been in a Showcase performance._

 _Aria reaches down and grabs up the young girl—who can't be more than five—pulling herself up and holding her up over her shoulders with both hands. Her little legs are kicking against her, dirt and grass kicking off her bare feet and falling over her red checkered flannel shirt._

 _"Your dad told you that he needed help putting flowers in the vases and the vases on tables. Do you see any flowers out here?"_

 _"No."_

 _Aria smiles. "Then let's go find some, silly girl. We have family over soon."_

* * *

 _"Aaahh!"_

Serena snapped out of her stupor.

A cold breath escaped Serena. Before she knew where she was, she was falling back. She landed backwards, back onto her rear, letting out a loud wincing sound of pain. She was sprawled out on the rocky floor, her arms by her side and her legs still having trouble straightening on the ground. Her whole body shook for several long moments before the feeling passed, leaving her cold and empty.

Overhead, Serena watched as Cynthia and Dawn came over to her side and looked down at her.


	54. Chapter 54

"What was that…?"

As Dawn stooped down, taking Serena's hand, giving her a moment to brace herself and then pulling her at full force to her feet, Cynthia watched from the sides with some semblance of admiration. She smiled gently, watching as Serena stumbled forward, Dawn stabilizing her as Serena caught herself. As soon as Serena was on her feet, she was looking back at Cynthia, giving her the strangest look she could muster.

Cynthia was smiling. "That was what happens when something fantastic becomes real."

"That… Vision..." Serena breathed, on the verge of panting. Her body felt cold, her breath showing in front of her. She felt her skin tensing as a million goosebumps grew from the surface of her skin. "Was it real…?"

"It was," said Cynthia. "Aria will live to grow old, marry and have children of her own." Cynthia's smile gained a hint of playfulness. "Do you think you can have those freckles and not come from any region south of Unova? Aria has family to return to soon, family that knows cute farm boys with prospects."

"But… Don't you have to be born in Kalos to participate in Showcases? Even… Even Kalos Queen…?" asked Serena.

"Aria was born to Unovan parents on Kalosian soil. They were diplomats," said Cynthia. "That has been Palermo's best-kept secret for all of the years she's been known in Showcases, and it's in plain sight—any time that Aria isn't wearing layers of makeup, of course."

Serena's legs felt weak, and not from talking about Aria. She physically felt ill, her stomach turning inside herself with a sickness. Her limbs felt numb, like she hadn't eaten in days. Her complexion had been completely drained, her eyes darkening. She avoided looking at Cynthia, even as she answered her questions.

A scraping from behind Serena caught her attention. Dawn had pulled a chair over, setting it on the rocky floor, holding the back of the chair to help ease Serena onto it. Serena took the seat, putting the strain off her legs and giving her the chance to slouch and catch her breath. The effects of the trance were wearing off, the color slowly returning to her cheeks. Her breathing was becoming normal again. By her side, Dawn offered her a small mug full of water, one that she gladly accepted and drank from steadily.

"It takes quite the stomach to see the future like the mirror offers," said Cynthia. "For more reasons than meets the eye."

As Serena lowered the empty mug from her lips, the color fully returned to her face, she took a slow breath. Her eyes still looked slightly tired, her outlook seeming slightly off from where it had been when she first entered the cave.

"How is it possible…?"

"We had several former Team Galactic scientists help with us," said Dawn. "They were able to recreate some of the properties of this mirror in a Johto research division's laboratory, which is actually built off of Team Rocket's old—"

"Dawn," Serena interrupted, calmly. "I meant, Aria… Her illness… It had to have been terminal… Right…?"

Dawn froze, looking terrified—not because of the interruption. Both her and Serena looked back up at Cynthia, both deeply worried and confused.

Cynthia had watched the whole conversation with a knowing look—not a playful smile like she had worn before, but a serious gaze. She pursed her lips silently, removing the hand that had been poised on her hip and holding her arms by her side. Her gaze traveled down towards the ground, her heels clacking on the stone as she took a few steps closer to Serena. When she stopped in front of Serena, she put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Serena, Aria's disease was terminal, but that was the reason she was in Vielleterre Town. A doctor there—of Korosian citizenship—had discovered the cure for it. Palermo didn't want the disease to go public, that's why they threatened you."

Serena's gaze traveled down towards where Cynthia's hand had landed on her shoulder. It lingered for a moment as she thought, considering her words, before she looked back up towards her.

Beneath the glow of the powerful lights in the cave, a halo of light had formed around Cynthia's head. Slivers of light lit her amber eyes, looking down with total assurance. The expression she gave never withered, staying stoic and comforting. Serena continually looked up towards, her feeling her troubles melt away.

"For someone who worries as much as you do, Serena, I realize what a dangerous tool this can be for you," said Cynthia. "But, I want you to have a chance."

Serena's gaze turned down. She looked past where Cynthia was standing in front of her, past where Dawn was standing not far from her side, down towards the end of the plateau where the mirror stood in all its gleaming, ethereal glory.

Planting her feet on the ground, Serena stood up.

* * *

 **Koramax asks:**

 **Serena? Are you ready to visit other regions?**

* * *

 **TheoryandArt asks:**

 **Aloha Serena! I am a Pokemon Researcher in the Aloha Region. Soon I am doing a study on Pokemon form variants of those found in Kanto. Given that you have traveled with Ash, from my cousin Professor Oak's town in Knato, I thought I would extend an offer to come assist in the work . Let me know if you're up for it.**

 **P.S. I hear Ash is attenting my friend, Professor Kukui's class in Alola.**

 **Regards from paradise!**

 **Samson Oak, PPhd**

* * *

 **JettRyu asks:**

 **What do you think of Alola, Serena?**

* * *

 **crazy-fangirling101 asks:**

 **Will you continue your dream of becoming a performer, or will you put it on hold for the time being, and continue your journey with Ash, maybe even to other regions?**

* * *

Serena stepped up to the line on the rocky floor. She then turned her gaze up, looking into the mirror.

The mirror was gone.

It had completely vanished, leaving only the rocky crater it had partially sunk into previously. Not a scrap of wood or shard of glass remained, not a crumble of rock or any indication that it had been moved or hidden.

The sound of Serena's feet shuffling, the rocky surface scraping beneath her was near deafening when there was nothing but silence. Her breathing turned cold again, her breath turning up in a puff in front of her. As she turned scanning the plateau, Cynthia and Dawn had disappeared as well. Any trace of equipment had disappeared, leaving the cave be.

A thought crossed Serena's mind. She looked up towards the ceiling, squinting to see up into the bright corners of the cavern, looking to see where the artificial lights pointed down like spotlights on her. As soon as she saw them, the lights flickered, pulsing brightly before several loud snapping sounds came. All of the lights suddenly turned off. A look of pure fear appeared on Serena's features, moments before they faded from view.

Serena spent one lone moment in the darkness, completely unsure what was happening. In the silence, Serena heard a powerful whoosh—the flapping of powerful wings.

Behind Serena, a massive eruption of bright orange light came from behind her, she felt a surging warmth, like she was standing next to a bonfire. As she turned, looking back, Serena let out a shriek. She watched in terror as the dark form of a Charizard was suddenly flying towards her, a shadow drawing over her as an abnormally large Charizard flew in from the depths of the cave. A large, billowing column of fire spewed from his open jaws—the source of warmth and light she had felt just moments before. She fell down to her knees, covering her head, diving towards the gxion had been completely drained, her eyes darkening. She avoided looking at Cynthia, even as she answered her .

As Serena scrambled to find the ground beneath her—more to see that she was still alive—she felt a powerful rush of hot air as Charizard flew past her. She felt something else too—like someone was jamming a hat onto her head. Serena resisted little, too dazed to put up any kind of fight.

Rolling over, getting up onto her knees, Serena knocked the hat off of her head, letting it clatter to the ground. In the warm, flickering light of the cavern, Serena looked down and saw the hat. It was Ash's. As Serena got onto her knees, a hand bracing herself from falling to the ground, she saw that Ash's gloves had been placed on her hand, as well as Ash's blue jacket, his pants and sneakers.

The ground rattled. Across the plateau from Serena, she saw that Charizard had landed down on the ground, standing tall and proud. A ring of fire lit the edge of the plateau, making the cavern glow with the fiery intensity.

Hidden among the flames, hidden in a smoldering and heat-warped vision, Serena could see a figure standing that Serena couldn't perceive.

Two hands picked Serena up by her arms, pulling her up off the ground quickly. As Serena stumbled to get her legs straightened and upright, standing beneath her, Serena glanced up at the two figures holding her up. It wasn't Cynthia and Dawn like she had suspected. It was two people, one boy, one girl, both looking extremely familiar. The boy was tall, slightly older than Serena, wearing a green vest, orange-shirt, and gray khaki pants. He had a darker complexion, his hair brown and spiky, his eyes perpetually shut. The girl on Serena's opposite side was about Serena's age, with bright orange hair and extremely pale skin—dressed in a loose yellow top, red suspenders and deep blue jean shorts.

Serena knew who they were immediately—it was Brock and Misty.

As she looked across the plateau again, the darkened figure hidden among the flames had disappeared. Charizard was still there, standing tall and prepared to strike. By Serena's side—viewed from the corners of her vision and catching her by surprise—a Magmar was standing, holding himself low to the ground with both of his arms at his side, prepared to strike as well. Down by Serena's legs, Ash's Pikachu hopped through, placing himself at the forefront of the group, watching Charizard with deep worry.

 _"Charizard!"_

A voice had cried out. Serena didn't know the source, even though it sounded awfully familiar. It sounded as though it had come from all around Serena.

Charizard made another powerful flap of his wings, launching himself up off of his hind legs and flying up high into the dark heights of the cavern, a powerful growl building within him and thundering out. As he flew higher and higher, elevating himself through the flaming, flickering haze, Serena felt an incredible heat coming from Magmar. Both of his fists were glowing bright red, his yellow feet leaving deep burn marks on the rocky floor as he took a step forward.

A fiery eruption exploded out of Charizard's mouth, raining down hellfire onto the battlefield of the plateau. As Serena went to cover herself, before she could do anything, Charizard slammed into the center of the battlefield like a wrecking ball. The ground shattered, deep gashes suddenly splitting open on that plateau. Serena fell back, falling loose of Brock and Misty's grip. She hadn't seen where they had landed—it was as if they had disappeared suddenly. Where the ground had cracked and shattered, thick chunks of the ground crumbled off of the plateau, sliding down off what had remained and falling down towards the main floor.

Serena looked just behind her, seeing where the massive chunks of rock had fallen. Down on the main floor of the cave, where Serena had entered and the encampment of machines had been, a large pool of lava filled the space in like a moat, making the plateau the only standing place in the whole cave.

Charizard lunged. Serena had been distracted, looking down in horror as Charizard bore down on her, walking towards her slowly. She felt an incredible heat from him, flames trailing off of his nostrils as he prepared a fireball especially for her. Serena scooted back, crawling away and edging along the rocky surface. The edge of the ground crumbled beneath the heel of her hand, and Serena looked back in time just to catch a glimpse of the crumble falling down towards the pool of magma leaving her nowhere to run. She looked back up, seeing that Charizard was giving her no room to run.

 _"Charizard, stop it! Listen to me!"_

The voice had returned, echoing and distant. When Serena looked up, someone new was standing in front of her, between herself and Charizard. He was standing up to him, facing him and holding his arm out. His blue jacket wavered behind him, a familiar red cap on his head.

It was Ash.

Though Serena knew it was Ash, something was very different about him. His clothes were much older—they would look vintage if they weren't so fitting. He was shorter, very much younger by the sound of his voice.

Ash held his hand out to Charizard, giving himself distance and beckoning Charizard to stop. He bravely looked into Charizard's eyes, meeting with a defiant gleam in Charizard's eyes. Both of Charizard's wings were extended behind him in a threatening display, the dragon-like flaps beneath wavering in the incredible, sweltering heat.

 _ **"Zaaaaarrrrddd!"**_

A deafening roar came from Charizard, directly into Ash's face. The sheer force of wind made Ash's hat fall off, flying through the heat and fluttering down towards the pools of lava below. Ash closed an eye, but he didn't flinch at all.

Instead, Ash reached down. Serena had become so hypnotized by the display of confidence in Ash that it took her a moment to recognize the hand lingering in front of her face. She took it into hers, looking up at Ash as she did, looking into where Ash was looking back at her with a confident smile. As soon as she had taken Ash's hand into hers, Ash yanked back, hoisting Serena up onto her feet. She stumbled forward, falling against Ash, holding herself closer to him—something that would've been much more reassuring if Ash wasn't a foot shorter than she was used to, or if she hadn't knocked him a step closer to Charizard.

Ash looked up into Charizard's eyes, silently challenging him to roar again. He lowered the arm he had reached out to him, letting it linger by his side.

 _"Charizard, you've got to listen to me! I need you right now!"_ said Ash. _"I've always needed you!"_

The ground shook, the whole cave rattling. It wasn't Charizard. Something had shifted, something that felt like deep beneath the earth.

As Serena held herself close to Ash, she looked up, turning her head up to the darker portions of the caves. They were no longer dark. Several large metal posts had appeared, supporting thousand-watt stadium lights that pointed down at Serena, Ash and Charizard. Stadium seating had been built into the rocky walls, the crowds making the walls shake with cheering. In the heavenly, otherworldly glow, what seemed like thousands of silhouettes were flying through the air, circling like birds coming to roost—they were all Charizard, all letting out cries and roars of proud power.

The earth shook again.

Serena's grip onto Ash faltered for only a moment. Though she clung to him with her arms, she had lost her footing beneath her, the grip of her sneakers loosening on the ground and her legs falling out from beneath her. She tried her best to stabilize herself, letting loose from Ash and stumbling back a step.

 _"I need you, right now!"_

When Ash shouted, making Serena look down, she realized he wasn't shouting at Charizard—it was at her. He was looking back at her, looking more determined than ever. He waved to her, from where she was right behind him.

Serena took the cue. She stepped out, walking around from behind Ash, coming to stand by his side. They stood together, shoulder to shoulder, side by side, facing Charizard together. The wind whipped up between the two of them, the roars of the hundreds of Charizard building to one massive roar.

Feeling something brush against her hand, Serena didn't need to look down to know exactly what it was—it was Ash's hand. Her hand opened, taking his hand into hers. They both stared down Charizard, together.

 _"We can do this, together!"_


	55. Chapter 55

Serena woke up.

As the world of the dream faded into darkness and the world of reality faded into existence slowly above her, Serena stared silently. With open eyes, she watched as the detail and color of the real world came into full breadth. She was staring at the ceiling, looking up into the dark corners of the cave. She was lying on her back. She could feel the hard surface of the stone floor just beneath her, pushed up against her head uncomfortably. Even though a towel had been laid out beneath her, she still felt the roughness of the stone floors just beneath her, the towel feeling itchy and uncomfortable. She felt the ends of her dress had been straightened out, tucked and folded beneath her legs. The feeling of her dress tucked beneath her legs felt an awful lot like a wedgie, something that helped focus her with the irritation that ensued. Far beneath her, at the ends of the length of her body, Serena's bare ankles felt the cold stone on the floor.

Feeling the towel beneath her fingers, Serena pushed herself up off the ground. She immediately regretted it, a feeling like her brain was thudding against the inner, bony walls of her skull throbbed as a headache ensued. She forced herself through the near-blinding pain, turning herself around and bracing herself with both her arms propping her up off the ground. Her legs sprawled out from beneath her, twisting and sitting uncomfortably. Holding herself up, Serena caught her breath, her face surrounded by a wall of her hair on all sides.

Just ahead of her, echoing off the cave walls in distant, thin reverberations, Serena could hear a conversation. It was quiet, but in full clarity from Serena's extra lucid senses. It was Cynthia and Serena.

"It's been over an hour..." Dawn said quietly. "No one has ever been out this long after a powerful vision from the mirror..."

"Then one can only infer that it was a much more powerful vision than our studies have seen," said Cynthia. "It's no serious out-lier from what we've seen. We'll have a wealth of data from speaking with her alone."

"But..." Dawn quietly sighed. "Doesn't it worry you? Do you think we should really be messing with this stuff then…? With Serena, no less?""

* * *

 **Koramax asks:**

 **Serena? Are you ready to visit other regions?**

* * *

 _It's true. I've been avoiding this question._

 _Once upon a time, it seemed like joining Ash on his journey would be something out of a dream. It seemed impossible, and asking him seemed like the biggest gamble I could ever ask for. That small experience taught me to risk—with everything I had._

 _There I have been moments along this journey that I have learned to fear risk. There are times that I had been burned deeply—to the point of scarring. All through those moments, through moments of success and moments of failure along the way, I've learned that those key moments are what change me the most. I learn from those moments._

 _I guess I didn't think about what the end of it all would mean._

* * *

The towel shuffled, Serena's legs batting it around over the stone surface. Her bare feet touched down on the cold rock as she planted the first step. The muscles in her legs felt alien and unused as she stood herself straight, steadying herself awkwardly on the imperfect surface of the rocky plateau. The first few steps were painful, feeling sharp beneath feet that had become so accustomed to shoes. Serena gritted her teeth, feeling her hair brush into her eyes with each stuttering step, feeling herself finally standing straight.

Just ahead of her, Serena saw the line in the rock from moments earlier—the line placed in front of the mirror.

* * *

 _Ash had been talking about Alola for some time. Never with me. He had been dropping little hints—if not by him by someone else. There were hints everywhere that he would be going to Alola soon, by all the people around him. I caught Bonnie looking at a travelogue in her bag, something she had stashed in her bag and pulled out at key stops along the way just to look at the pictures—all the new Pokemon._

 _Ash never talked about Alola with me, but even that is no excuse. I should've known for a long time. Everyone knows that all good things must come to an end. Every journey reaches the destination—the end._

 _It gives me no excuse that this has snuck up on me. I've let it sneak up on me. This isn't even the moment I'm supposed to dread—I'm supposed to dread the moment when Ash leaves, when Bonnie and Clemont leave too—not the moment I come to even say the words._

 _Ash will leave._

 _I'm not ready._

* * *

"You always seem so fearless," said Cynthia. A thin grin had appeared beneath her serene gaze, watching as Dawn had turned away with her arms folded. "Is this the moment where my intrepid young assistant asks for help?"

"Having a decent amount of fear is extremely healthy, especially with something so… otherworldly," said Dawn. She kept her head turned, staring off into the dark lower corners of the cavern. Her eyes were hidden in deep shadows beneath her glasses, hiding her tired eyes. "If there's anyone who seems unreasonably fearless it's you."

"I have fear, trust me."

"This is a bad time to get mushy," said Dawn. "If you have any kind of fear you would've shown it by—"

Out of the corner of Dawn's eye, she saw Cynthia grow tense. As she turned, her body shifting and her head craning back, her eyes remained locked on where Cynthia's were pointed at. Her gaze traveled along the invisible line of sight until she looked out over across the empty, rocky plateau, over towards the mirror. A figure was standing in front of it. Before Dawn processed who it was her eyes darted towards where her and Cynthia had laid-up Serena on a towel on the ground. She knew who it was before she looked back up towards the mirror. Serena was standing up, back at the line before the unearthed mirror, inches from stepping up to the line.

"I have fear, trust me," said Cynthia.

* * *

 _I know what you're thinking: 'Serena, it's just a boy'. I'm not going to argue with you, it sounds silly to me too. The best defense I can offer is that Ash is… special. He's special in a lot of ways, but I mean more in just, well, the substance. The stuff he's made of is what matters most to me. That makes me sound worse, I know._

 _What makes me sound the absolute worst, though—what is absolutely the most pathetic thing about all of this—is I know what I have to do already. It's the first thing I learned with Ash, and it's the first thing I'll learn again._

 _I must learn to risk again._

* * *

Serena stepped up the line of tape. Her toes had grown filthy, a kind of disgust that had spread up her naked legs. The pattern of her white, floral-pattern dress had become deeply stained. Mud had streaked around Serena's cheeks. Her hair had fallen out of disarray—the flower pinned in her hair still sticking in.

Serena raised her head, looking into the mirror.

* * *

 _It is incredibly scary. I have to venture away from what I know to be home, to what I know to be safe and comfortable, but I know that everything will be right in the end. If it won't, I have to risk until it is._

 _Because, sometimes, the outcomes are rather surprising. Sometimes, I have to learn to love that outcome._

* * *

Serena continued to stare at the mirror. It remained blank—just a reflection of Serena and the cave walls around her. She stared for several long moments, watching as nothing changed. Even looking around, she saw that nothing was disappearing or changing. It was just the cave, and just a regular mirror.

From behind Serena, Cynthia and Dawn approached, moving silent and slow. By their looks, they knew what was happening—looking confused all the same. They gave cautious looks into the mirror and back at Serena.

Serena lowered her head silently, contemplating.

In the distance, Serena could hear trotting. Light, plodding footsteps.

Looking up in the mirror, Serena watched as the silhouette of something approached.

It was Sylveon.

" _Syl~!_ "

Serena's eyes grew wider than they ever had been. She watched in awe as Sylveon approached from behind. The pure, raw sensation of excitement brought Serena all the way down, making her drop down to her knees. It took Sylveon seconds to reach Serena, trotting up in front of Serena and taking a seat.

"Alright everybody, out of the way!" a voice shrieked.

Cynthia and Dawn parted, looking back at the source of the voice. Serena's head craned over her shoulder, looking back.

Rising up over the last ridge on the path up to the platform, Jessie, James, and Meowth all entered the clearing. Jessie walked ahead, walking towards the center of the gathering and stared down at Serena, giving passing, angry glances to Cynthia and Dawn. She ground her teeth together, a vein threatening to burst above her bulging, angry eyes. Her long, swooping red hair had become frayed and stuck out in several different pointed directions. The ends of her white uniform top had become frayed and did little to cover her torso, the whole top stained with dirt and looking filthy.

Just behind Jessie, James grunted and hoisted something behind him. He turned, tossing the large, heavy object he had been hauling up the length of the cavern's path. A body flopped forward onto the stone floor, dressed in a blue mechanic's suit, arms tied behind his back and a bag thrown over his head—it was Clemont. James slumped over and squatted beside Clemont, catching his exhausted breath. Behind him, Meowth was catching his breath too, looking completely beat.

"Team Rocket…" Cynthia grimaced, surveying the scene. Though she could see Sylveon out of the corner of her eye, she turned her attention to Jessie, stepping forward and looking defiant. "Seems we cannot—"

" _Oh shut it_ ," Jessie hissed in a shrill voice, turning once viciously on Cynthia. She immediately turned back to face Serena, who kneeled with Sylveon close. "We didn't come all this way just to give you your Sylveon back for free!"

"We went through hell to get that Sylveon for you," said James.

Jessie immediately turned on James, shrieking. " _We went through 'heck'! The word is 'heck' when there are children around!_ "

"What did you do to Clemont?" Serena asked, looking up at Jessie with the same defiance that Clemont had.

Though Jessie was ready to explode on Serena at her act of defiance, she paused. She looked down, suddenly lost for words. Her lip quivered, her gaze faltering.

* * *

 _Across the road from the Pokemon Center, an array of bushes stood with binoculars sticking out of them—two human-sized binoculars, one small Meowth-sized pair of binoculars._

 _"Hrggh—Guys! What the heck do you guys want with me? Let me go!" Clemont protested. In the grassy clearing behind where Team Rocket had hunched behind the bushes, he was bound and laying on his side, kicking his legs weakly as he tried to get up. Gritting his teeth, only an eye open, Clemont gave one last little struggle before Meowth hit him with a paw, making him yelp and stay in place._

 _"Heya twerp! You wants us to gets caught? Yous don't looks too good if yous gets caught with Team Rocket, don'ts ya think?" Meowth scolded, grimacing down at Clemont._

 _"But, I don't understand—why me? What am I doing here?" asked Clemont, groaning in pain._

 _"If only we knew the answer," said James. "Seems Jessie has designs on you that she hasn't been exactly very forward with the details on."_

 _Jessie turned from where she had looking into the Pokemon Center, lowering her binoculars. She gave Clemont a stern look._

 _"You said you need a machine inside the Pokemon Center to get Sylveon out of the broken Pokeball?" asked Jessie._

 _"W-What…?"_

 _"Answer me!" Jessie hissed._

 _"Y-Yes!"_

 _"Can you operate it?" Jessie immediately asked._

 _"W.. What…?"_

 _Meowth took Clemont by the collar of his jumpsuit, slapping him upside the face with a paw. "C'mon, speak English!" he shouted._

 _"Yes!" Clemont shouted, in a burst of sudden realization. "Yes! I can operate the machine!"_

 _"Good," said Jessie. She raised a stick of dynamite in her hand, holding up a box of matches in the other. "Because we're about to hijack a Pokemon Center."_

 _Clemont swallowed._

* * *

"C-Clemont helped you…?" Serena asked, looking totally dumbstruck.

Beside James, where Clemont was slumped over on the ground, he mumbled something incoherent beneath the bag over his head, earning a swift kick from Meowth.

"That's right," said Jessie, " _Team Rocket_ and honorary team member Clemont were responsible for getting your Sylveon safe and sound back to you. It was we who helped you—not Cynthia, not Dawn, not some magic bizarro mirror—Jessie, James, and Meowth!"

"And Clemont!" said Meowth with a smirk.

Confused, Serena's gaze wandered down and away from Jessie, looking down to Sylveon.

Then, all at once, Serena understood.

* * *

 _No matter where that outcome comes from._


	56. Chapter 56

**MattW19 asks:**

 **What would you do if you found a Death Note? Get rid of all criminals like Light Yagami tried to do? Get rid of the writers if they remove you from the Anime? Get rid of the people who gets in your way of getting Ash's Heart? What would you do with it? (A Death Note is a Notebook that kills people, those who's name is written in that notebook will die, hitting a person with it won't kill anyone, you must write the name down and then at a matter of time, they will die.)**

* * *

 _Well, that would pose a challenge._

 _I've never imagined… killing someone. I don't really think I ever could._

 _I've given myself a rule that I have to answer a question, no matter what question it is. Still, I kinda wanna break that rule for a second. If I can only kill someone, I obviously won't write anyone's name in a Death Note notebook—in fact, I'd probably try to burn it or lock it away where no one could use it._

 _But… if it transported someone else to faraway—like, the other side of the world, faraway from me or anyone else… then I might use it. Maybe a lot, actually._

 _First, I'd probably write as many Team Flare members as I could get the names of (ones that weren't already in jail). I've heard that some of the big scientists are still out there, in hiding. Ones like Celosia and Bryony. Then of course I would do the same to Team Rocket._

 _Well, then there's people like Miette. Could I honestly put her in the same faraway place as Team Flare and Team Rocket? Well, maybe then I'd—_

* * *

A knock came from the door.

The pile of sheets and comforters shuffled gently in the darkness. At the lumpy end of the Caterpie-like cocoon of sheets, just above the pillows, Serena's head wormed it's way out. Her hair was strung about over her face like straw, the lower half of her face buried in pillows. Her eyes barely peeked out between her puffy, half-shut eyelids. She looked across to the short nightstand beside her bed. Through her blurry vision, she could barely make out the glowing green slats on the digital clock, but she could see that it was some time just after 6 AM.

Shuffling the sheets off of her, Serena sat herself in bed. She stifled a yawn, her legs easing off the bed and her feet unsteadily finding the carpeted floor. Across the bed, Bonnie was still swaddled in bed, Dedenne snoozing quietly at the foot of the bed.

The knock came again. Serena muttered some annoyed reply beneath a sleepy yawn, a hand rubbing an eye while her other eye watched the path through the darkness as she precariously walked through the scattered clothes on the floor. A light left on beneath the half-open bathroom door lit her way, bringing her to the front of the door. She tried to step up onto her tip-toes to look through the small hole in the door, but she couldn't focus her tired eyes to do so. She unlatched the lock on the door, opening it.

Serena poked her head through the door. The light from the hallway was blinding, but once her eyes focused she saw who had knocked.

It was Ash.

"Hey Serena, good morning!" said Ash.

Serena's embarrassment cut through her exhaustion. She suddenly stumbled back, wanting to back away from the door but instead tripping over her own feet. She swung the door wide open, not giving a thought to the skimpy pair of shorts and the tanktop on her until she was out in the open in front of a fully-dressed Ash.

"A-Ash…! Hi…! Good morning…! What are you doing here so early…?" she asked, her voice sounding more alert.

"Serena… Don't you remember? We need to go to the airport?" Ash asked sheepishly. On his shoulder Pikachu beamed at her.

Serena blinked. "Oh!"

* * *

The shower curtain rattled, echoing loudly in the tiny bathroom. A dainty, wet hand reached around the folds of the plastic curtain, scooting it back just enough to reach all the way through. Her arm fumbled against the tile walls of the bathroom, reaching around the side blindly to where a lone towel had been hung on a peg on the wall, lifting it haphazardly until it came off, pulling it towards her and beneath the shower curtain. A gentle sigh came from the other side.

Moments later, the shower curtain opened completely, thrown to the other side of the shower tub's wall. Serena stood on the other side, a plain white towel wrapped around her upper torso and tucked beneath her arms. A smaller towel had been wrapped up around her hair, standing in a tall beehive-like structure. She stepped out of the bathtub and onto a towel that had been sprawled out on the tile floor of the small bathroom, stepping up on light feet to the counter across from her. The mirror had fogged up, but Serena reached up and wiped all the condensation away with the heel of her hand, clearing a path in thick streaks. Though the mirror was quickly fogging up again, Serena could see her reflection much more clearly.

A fan buzzed overhead of Serena, drowning her in a world of white noise. She stared at her reflection through the cleared, streaky paths on the mirror. Her makeup had been washed away, her complexion looking pure and showing all the individual flaws on her face. A pair of bright blue eyes stared back at her.

Opening the door, Serena peeked her head through, clutching the towel just over her chest. She brushed aside where her wet hair had come loose from the brim of her towel turban, looking into the room. The lights were all on.

"Bonnie…? Can you hand me my clothes?"

On the edge of her bed, Bonnie sat, kicking her legs happily as she chewed on a cookie. Dedenne had his head buried in a bag beside where Bonnie sat—the bag of cookies.

Across from Bonnie, Ash sat in a chair, munching on cookies of his own.

"See? I told you room service was awesome!"

Serena shrieked.


	57. Chapter 57

Serena turned the dryer off, pointing the plastic nozzle away from her hair. Her bouncy curls swayed gently in the last exhausted wind from the dryer. She ran her fingers through her dry, soft hair, feeling the lingering warmth on the hot, dry hairs. A can of hairspray was waiting nearby, and Serena popped the cap off before aiming the nozzle at her hair, closing an eye and spritzing a sticky cloud all around her hair.

Her pink fedora was waiting for her beside the sink. Serena took the hat into her hand and fitted it over her head, her appearance seeming fined-tuned.

* * *

 _Sometimes I get these strange feelings._

 _These feelings like the future has changed._

* * *

"Pi-ika!"

Pikachu had raised his short arm, pointing it out the train car window.

Serena had been daydreaming, staring across the floor of the rocking train car. She felt a motion by her side, watching from the corners of her eye as Ash turned his head to look with Pikachu. She too looked, turning her head and looking out the window, out at the passing landscape of the world.

A large, low building glowed a pure white in the overwhelming sunlight of the day. Dense, lush green trees surrounded the building on all sides, hugging close to the edges. A clearing stretched ahead with a long stretch of tarmac in the center of the grassy clearing. White lines had been marked, small lights lining the path—it was an airplane's runway, leading up to the airport. A tall tower gleamed, standing tall above the airport.

A shadow passed over the train. Ash, Serena and Pikachu looked up through their window, watching as an airplane descended from the skies above, gliding down towards the tarmac.

* * *

 _It's sort of a weird feeling that you can't explain. I've never really talked about it with anyone. Whatever that feeling is, it feels like everything has changed. There's some part of me that screams that this isn't how things are supposed to go._

* * *

Inside the airport, the high ceilings echoed with the sound of activity—people chatting, walking around, hurrying to their flights. The sounds of Pokemon growling and making loud cries rang out in deafening tones. The blinding sunlight of outside came through a large skylight, dozens of triangular, white-tinted windows linking together in the midst of crossing metal supports. A gigantic window took up the right wall of the airport. The smell of hot, cheap food was everywhere. Speakers chimed as airport staff read announcements. Walls of glowing displays showed information on flights as they came in.

Pikachu had hopped ahead, walking through a clearing of wandering people. Ash followed Pikachu from just a few steps behind, and behind Ash Serena was following.

They had reached the edge of a large platform, a balcony that overlooked a floor below. A pair of escalators met with the edge of the platform, humming as the steps continually rose on the right side and descended on the left.

Serena stopped just a few steps back. Something deep inside her made her freeze as she stared at the escalators. They seemed oddly significant.

* * *

 _It can be sort of a relief. It's like I'm being given a second chance to do things over._

 _But… It's also scary. It makes everything unpredictable._

* * *

"Mom!"

Serena realized she had been daydreaming. When she looked up from the imaginary space she had been staring at in the ground, she watched as Ash ran ahead of her. Pikachu was scrambling far ahead of Ash, running towards the escalator and up to where the escalator was coming up to their floor.

Delia Ketchum was coming up to the top of the escalator, standing still as the steps slowly rose up the track. She beamed, smiling and waving when she saw Ash. A suitcase stood on the same step she was standing on. As soon as her step came up to be level with the floor, she walked ahead, landing on the firm and steady ground, wheeling her suitcase just behind her. As soon as she was off, she watched as a familiar yellow flew at her at high speed, opening her arms just in time to receive Pikachu. She swaddled him in his arms, laughing gently.

"Hello Ash!" said Delia, stepping forward and wrapping Ash up in her other arm.

Ash hugged his mom, his arms wrapping tightly around. His hat pushed up as he pressed his face into her shoulder. A boyish smile had been plastered on his face.

"Serena, hello there as well!"

Serena was caught off-guard, looking up to see Delia staring at her. A smile suddenly sprouted on her face. Where her arms were tucked behind her awkwardly, she raised a hand and waved at her.

"Hello, Ms. Ketchum!"

* * *

 _I don't think anyone can really know their futures. Honestly, all this talk is rather silly. There's no such thing as a future set in stone—not when there's so many exciting possibilities in this world. If anything, this is all a reminder to me to stay active and stay positive about the future. Even though things may be changing, even though things may be coming to an end, even though this moment may be only one of many in a chapter that is quickly coming to a close, I must know that I am still in control of my life and I have an infinite amount of possibilities ahead of me. In this moment I can still choose my ultimate destiny or fate, and with a little faith it can all come true._

 _That, and a little help from my friends._

* * *

"I hear you were having some trouble with your Sylveon," said Delia, walking with both Ash and Serena by her side.

Even though Delia had been talking with her for much of the time they had spent walking through the airport, Serena still felt caught off-guard any time Delia spoke to her—it didn't seem like it was likely to happen any time, especially when she knew she could see Ash just out of the corner of her eye. Still, feeling Delia's gaze pressing on her—not in a pressuring way at all, but with a lovely, motherly curiosity—Serena swallowed, rifling through her thoughts.

"Yeah… It was complicated..." said Serena. "Sylveon is with me now though, and I'm incredibly grateful for it."

They had reached the end of the airport plaza, bringing them to another large glass wall. At the base of it, several sliding doors opened for them, setting them on the large concrete terrace, giving them dozens of travel options. The train terminal was ahead, atop a length of concrete stairs leading to an elevated terminal where several different trains were parked. Several concourses for buses dug into the sidewalk, as well as pickup areas for various taxi cabs.

Though Serena had kept her focus on the stair steps up to the train terminal, mindful of the time of their arrival and the next train, another cry from Pikachu broke her attention. From the side, Ash pointed out over across the terrace.

"Serena, look!" said Ash.

Standing just ahead of them, Serena's mom was standing, sunglasses gleaming in the sunlight and her Fletchling on her shoulder. She waved to them both, raising up her sunglasses and revealing her eyes as she looked over the three of them, smiling brightly.

Serena let out a gasp, her eyes going wide when she saw her. It made her stop in her tracks, gasping audibly.

"Grace! Hello!" said Delia.

In her hands, something was dangling off one of Grace's fingers. She her hand, proudly showing a pair of gleaming car keys in her hands. A rental tag was dangling off the keyring. Just ahead, at the end of another concourse for visitors and cars passing through, a simple green car had been parked with seats for four, gleaming from freshly being cleaned. It stood on four gigantic all-terrain wheels. There wasn't a roof, instead several metal rails implied the walls that would've been on the open-air car.

"The train is a little out of style these days, don't you think?" asked Grace, grinning.

* * *

 _The world is strange._

 _I feel like I have a key decision coming up—a choice. Maybe this will give me some insight into that decision._

* * *

The car drove along a stretch of jungle highway, passing through the dense lush forests of the island as it headed back towards the center of the town. The road was bumpy, the car rocking as the wheels did its best to keep the car steady. As Grace drove, she chatted happily with Delia, talking about mom things that Serena and Ash weren't paying attention to.

"Serena, is everything okay?"

Serena turned from where she had been gazing wistfully out the window, brushing her flowing hair out of her eyes as the wind whipped through. She looked back, meeting with a concerned Ash and an equally concerned Pikachu.

Serena smiled sheepishly. "Just a little lost in thought."


	58. Chapter 58

**Pikafan09 asks:**

 **Serena, are you still cute?**

* * *

 _Am I cute? I mean, I think I am. I'm glad you think so too. Thank you!_

 _But have I always been cute? I mean that's a silly question. To that, I guess, I'd have to just say:_

 _'Are you kidding me'?_

 _Thanks for asking!_

* * *

Serena looked up from her laptop. She had hunched over on the couch, facing her laptop screen from where it had been placed on the coffee table just in front of her. A plate with a half-eaten scone was sitting next to the laptop, some of the crumbs dotting her lips as she chewed the mouthful of a bite she had taken. Beside the laptop, a mug full of creamy coffee steamed silently, waiting for her.

She looked over at the front of the café. The door had opened and chimed. A tired, dejected Ash entered, wiping the sweat from his brow. She quickly got to her feet, seeing just how tired he was. His eyes were sleepy, worn-out, his breathing sounding just as exhausted, something Serena noticed the closer she got. When he saw Serena, he gave a gentle smile, walking up towards the café counter.

"How'd it go?" Serena asked.

As Ash got to the counter, he gave a look back towards Serena. Though he looked happy to see her, he still looked burnt out.

"I really had no idea it would be that much unpacking," said Ash. "She finally seems settled in."

Serena gave a smile, chuckling beneath her breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Ash fished out a few Poke from his pocket and paid for a sandwich from the case. Though she continued to smile, it was for an entirely different reason.

"Well, moms need all the help they can get sometimes," said Serena. "Sorry about that, though. Sounds like a rough start to the day."

Ash looked back at Serena. A smile had returned, showing a bit more of that boundless optimism. "Still great!"

"So, your mom mentioned this was one last stop along the way?" Serena asked. She sipped from the cup of coffee innocently, staring at Ash over the rim of the cup from where she sat the entire time she drank, sipping silently. She sat on the couch in the same spot she had been sitting in earlier, sitting on the edge of the couch cushion, looking rather attentive and uncomfortable at the same time. Her laptop had been folded shut on the coffee table just in front of her.

Ash was just wiping his fingers with a papery napkin. The sandwich he had purchased moments earlier had been completely decimated in a matter of minutes. All that remained was a couple of loose bread crumbs resting in the papery wrapper, splatters of sauce remaining on the checkered pattern of the paper. The bottle of juice he had purchased and sipped on with the sandwich was sitting just beside the remains of the sandwich, half full with it's amber-colored contents.

"Yeah! We're taking a trip in the next week."

Serena silently lowered the mug, staring at Ash. He seemed oblivious to his own response, finishing cleaning his fingers meticulously with the napkin before he set it back down in the papery wrapper, rolling up the garbage.

"Where are you going?" asked Serena, sipping from her coffee.

"Well, mom and I—"

"Is it to Alola?" Serena interrupted, keeping her voice as level as possible while she sipped from her coffee. She had drained half of it in the last minute alone. Even she seemed a little surprised by the bluntness in her question. As her gaze faltered, looking somewhat regretful, Serena watched as Ash sat up a bit.

"Serena..." Ash began. "I'm really sorry I didn't get the chance to talk with you earlier about all of this. I really should have just talked with you in the first place. It's just… We've both been so busy the past few days while in Costa Nova. I haven't really had the chance to talk with you—or even spend time with you! I've been looking forward to that ever since before we got here, and I'm really sorry we haven't gotten that yet."

Serena blinked. She looked up from where she had been staring, looking up into Ash's eyes. He looked genuine, a look of concern replacing his usual blank or energetic look. Only a small sound came out of Serena—something like understanding. She swallowed deeply, unable to resist the sensation of her cheeks glowing and rising to a fiery color.

"I'm… I'm sorry..."

"The next few days will be pretty crazy, right? What with all the different festivals on Costa Nova and that play you've been working on. Some surprise that your mom showed up too, huh?"

Though Serena had been toying with her hair, staring off into space and seeming to purposefully avoid Ash with her gaze, she felt Ash's gaze pressing on her. When she looked back up and saw where Ash was, looking over, she met with his familiar boyish confidence. He looked genuinely excited, genuinely happy to be in the moment—a far cry from where he had been with his worry moments ago. He almost didn't seem worried at all, making Serena feel like she had imagined the moment. The longer she considered what Ash was saying, the more she realized that she was still connected to that moment they had shared moments earlier.

"Yeah… Pretty crazy..." Serena laughed nervously.

"But we'll still get to see each other and hang out for all of it. That's what I'm excited most about!" said Ash.

Serena smiled gently. "Yeah..."

The two of them shared a long moment of eye contact, looking at one another, sharing the moment.

"Ash… Where's Pikachu…?" Serena finally spoke up.

"Oh, Pikachu! Yeah, my mom is taking care of him for just a moment. As soon as he found one of mom's pillows in the suitcase he immediately fell asleep on it! It's like he hadn't slept in weeks! I mean, I've been working him pretty hard at some of the training spots on Costa Nova, but we've been getting plenty of rest in too. She promised to give him a bath too, after—he said that he was particularly dirty this time."

"I can imagine," Serena smiled.

Just then, at the front of the coffee shop, the door chime rang out again. Though Ash turned his head, looking up to the front of the shop, Serena stared ahead, thinking silently. The sound of Ash gasping caught her attention, making her look up, looking at Ash and then to the door.

Dawn entered from the front of the shop, walking through the main area and passing the counter. She waved to the two facing couches where Ash and Serena sat, smiling warmly. Dressed still as summery as she had been, wearing the same navy-blue and flowered button-up shirt she had been, she walked with Piplup by her side. As soon as Piplup looked up and saw Ash he gasped, his fin batting at Dawn's pant leg to get her attention.

"Dawn!" Ash exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. He had a high-five waiting for him as soon as he stood up, his hand swinging up and meeting the raised hand with a single, resounding clap.

"Hi Ash, long time no see!" said Dawn. Down between the two of them, they both watched as Piplup waddled up to see Ash, waving and chirping happily.

Ash reached down, picking Piplup up and hoisting him up high, beaming ear to ear as he helped him up. He faced Piplup, rubbing noses with the tiny yellow beak. As he did, he glanced continuously over Dawn, steadily growing more confused as he stared at her.

"Dawn, you wear glasses now? Has your eye sight always been so bad? And your hair! You cut it all off!"

Dawn smiled sheepishly. "Just general improvements, that's all."

"And you're much taller! And you seem much older? Gosh, how long has it been? A few years, right? What are you doing these days?"

Chuckling to herself, Dawn gave Serena a passing glance, looking rather sheepish at the sight of her. Though Serena hadn't realized it, she looked very awkward by her outlook and her posture. Dawn responded in kind with a knowing smile, something that made Serena more agitated than anything. Returning her attention to Ash, she offered her hands out to Ash, taking Piplup when Ash returned him. She hoisted him up, putting him to sit on her own shoulder.

"We can catch up later. I've been dying to ask about your hard work at the Kalos League!" said Dawn. "We're all meeting at the Garden Festival, aren't we? I just need to pick Serena's brain about something."

"Oh, right! Then I should probably get Pikachu. I'll have to go up and stop at my mom's place."

"That's great Ash, we'll see you soon!" said Dawn.

"Yeah Ash, see you soon—"

Both Serena and Dawn watched as Ash hurried out of the shop and into the street, barely stopping to even check both ways on the street before he hopped into it. He headed across, then ran down the opposite sidewalk, heading in the general direction of the hotel he had just come from.

"That was short," said Serena.

"That's Ash," Dawn shrugged.


	59. Chapter 59

As Dawn and Serena headed down the stretch of street, reaching the crest of hill before the road led down, they watched the horizon widen and the lush expanse of forest and jungle beneath expanding before them until it unveiled the massive park in the center. Dozens of large tents and events filled the park, with dozens of people faraway and distant wandering through the different pathways and displays that surrounded the area.

"These forests are one of the great, hidden treasures of Costa Nova. Even though it's so close to Kalos, it has plenty of Pokemon that can only be found here and nowhere else—in no other region!" said Dawn, walking ahead.

"They sound wonderful," Serena said.

"Yes! It makes for an excellent backdrop to the Garden Festival. Unfortunately for people like me and Cynthia, getting our small little spot in the festival means mountains of paperwork with various agencies to ensure what we do isn't harmful to the environment."

Serena looked surprised. It took her eyes away from the gorgeous jungle scenery ahead to look back at Dawn, a curious look dawning on her. "Oh? Are you doing something to promote the play…?" asked Serena, her expression wilting with weakness. A look of realization came to her when she realized how much she had forgotten about the plays.

"Promoting one's play to compete in the Play Festival is something that's extremely important at the Garden Festival, but that's not what Cynthia and I are supposed to do here," said Dawn. "Here, we will be presenting some of our research. It's part of the work we're doing on mythologies and fairy tales out here in Kalos and Costa Nova. A large part of what we have to do is present our work."

"'Present'…? You mean… Present the Mirror of Outcomes…?" asked Serena.

Dawn smiled, looking back at Serena. "Exactly right. Are you sure you don't have a knack for science? Sure you're not pure-blood fashion like you promised me?"

"I mean… Isn't the Mirror of Outcomes dangerous…? Isn't it something you really have to be careful with…?" asked Serena, the nervousness growing in her voice. "What was all that that you and Cynthia were talking about—timelines, the importance of not knowing one's future, trauma—what about all of that stuff?"

"Most people are just going to see it as some random psychic's booth with just better celebrity talent," said Dawn, chuckling at her own comment. She waved her hands skeptically. "'CGI and special effects', 'smoke and mirrors', that sort of thing. The Mirror of Outcomes can't reveal anything serious or dark—even the darkest things it reveals are shown in metaphor, as you saw."

"But… Then… If no one will take it seriously… What's the point of even showing it…?"

Before Serena could look up or even fully react, Dawn turned around to face her. She looked at her dead on, wearing a confident smile.

"Because it's all apart of the experiment."

* * *

At the gate to the Garden Festival, even the streets felt part of it. A line of tall booths blocked off the entrance to that side of the street, barricading the wide entrances with metal turnstiles that people constantly passed through.

Though Serena found herself gravitating towards the large line of people waiting to purchases passes to the inside, she felt the sudden, strong grip of Dawn's hand on her arm, tugging her the opposite way. She quickly followed, the footsteps beneath her stumbling along. Before she could protest or even question, Dawn took Serena's open hand, placing in it a thin wristband. Serena examined it curiously, seeing that it was a weekend pass for the festival. As Dawn led her through the dense crowd, Serena snapped the wristband onto her wrist, just in time for her to pass through a 'Vendors Only' turnstile.

The other side was even more packed, with booths lining either side of the street—both the side with brick-and-mortar shop fronts and the other side with a tall hedge dividing that side of the street from the interior of the park. Sounds of food being created a booths couldn't overwhelm the intense aromas that came from the machines. Loudspeakers posted at corners played festive music, just above signs that led to different activities. Massive lines had formed around different food vendors, around the wall of porta-potties at the end of the road and near street performers and musicians.

Serena still felt the tug of Dawn's arm, making her stumble up onto the sidewalk and down under the large bouquet-like archway entrance to the park. The feeling slowed as soon as she felt the dirt of the paths crunching beneath her boots, leading her into the main area.

"Sorry to pull you through all of that," Dawn said, sheepishly. She handed Serena a map, one that Serena took absentmindedly as she stared up at Dawn with blank, distracted eyes, looking immensely confused.

"No worries… Definitely would've been lost immediately," Serena chuckled.

The wide path ahead led to a central ring of different events—less dedicated to the booths that Serena had seen moments earlier. They were fully constructed experiences, many of them games like a midway and full-featured shops, featuring varied boutiques and other product selling experiences. A few small stages had been set for traveling shows and other Pokemon-based performances. Towards the end of the main ring that they were passing through, Serena could see large tents towards the back area of the park—something Serena suspected was only the beginning of the areas.

Though Serena had taken a moment to pause, standing rooted to the ground, she saw where Dawn had wandered ahead. To her embarrassment, Dawn was looking back and smiling knowingly, waving her along to come follow. She hurried up to her, feeling Dawn's eyes on her.

"I feel like I caught you off-guard with talk of plays earlier," said Dawn.

The mention made Serena cringe. She looked back up to her, looking sheepish. "What about them?" she asked quietly.

"No need to worry, it's just something I haven't talked about a lot since some of the Sylveon stuff. I didn't want to continually lay that pressure on you," said Dawn. "But, in case you're curious, I do have your part of the script completed. Again, I haven't really chatted with you about what exactly we're doing, but your part is just you on-stage—it's what they call a 'soliloquy'. I'm having several characters do a series of soliloquy performances to tell a complete story."

"Oh, wow…! Sounds rather exciting!"

"It'll be something," said Dawn.

"Well well well, look who it all is."

Both Serena and Dawn turned to face the person who had just spoken up behind them. Though Dawn looked rather confused in a cordial way, Serena gasped, her face turning white.

It was Miette.

* * *

A/N:

I've recently been receiving reviews on this story that have been fairly divisive towards other users in the reviews section. I want everyone to know that that is not okay and it needs to stop. I welcome criticism on my story, but using the reviews section of my story as a platform to wage war on other users is unacceptable. At no point will I be shutting down reviews completely, this has only been an issue specifically with guest reviews lately.

I will shut down guest commenting if this persists. This is your final warning.


	60. Chapter 60

" _Miette_!"

"I'm not interrupting anything important, am I?" Miette asked, wearing a coy grin.

Serena swallowed. She looked off to the side for a moment as she thought of something to reply with, but Miette wasn't giving her any chances. Miette was on her in a second, stepping up to her and forcing to back away a step. As she shrunk back, Miette bounced up onto the tips of her toes, bringing her just slightly over her as she craned neck down, putting them almost nose-to-nose. Serena's nervous eyes darted every other place as she avoided her, shutting for a moment before peeking open to look back into Miette's eyes. Miette was staring at her through the thin edge of her half-shut, teasing eyes, prying at her silently.

"What…? I mean, we're just walking around through the Garden Festival! Eheh… Just a couple of friends!" Serena replied nervously, chuckling to break the tension.

"'Just friends'?" asked Miette, raising an eyebrow. "That's an oddly specific detail. Is there something here I should know about? Is there something _Ash_ should know about?"

" _W-What_?" Serena squealed, her whole body cringing at the implication. She followed Miette's eyes, turning her head towards where Miette had given just a passing, coy glance to. When she looked over, she realized she was looking at Dawn. In response, Dawn offered a gentle smile, trying to seem supportive of her. Serena's lips clamped shut, her whole face steaming with embarrassment. A shrill whimpering sound came from her, trilling with shame.

"Hi! I'm Dawn," smiled Dawn, waving her hand gently, looking genuinely happy to see Miette. "It's nice to meet you! Are you and Serena friends?"

Miette snickered. "Yeah, something like that." She looked back just in time to watch as Serena gave her the dirtiest of looks.

"What brings you to the Garden Festival?" asked Dawn.

"Well, I couldn't help but overhear that you all are performing in the Festival of Plays, is that correct? If it's true it's a very interesting development," Miette grinned. Though her body language—her folded-back arms, her rolling shoe, the gentle rocking back and forth of her hips—communicated innocence, Serena could see right through it. Miette gave Serena a passing glance, watching her reddened face and deadlocked eyes, only making her own wicked grin grow wider when she returned her attention to Dawn.

"Why yes! Yes we are!" said Dawn.

"Well, then that would make us rivals again, Serena and Dawn," said Miette, "because that means we both will be competing for the same prize of best one-act play."

"What?" asked Serena, her eyes getting even wider.

"Wow, Miette! That's great!" said Dawn.

"N-No! No it's not!" Serena protested. Her whole body seemed to shake with resentment. Her teeth gnashed together, silently snarling as she gave Miette a rancid look. When Miette looked back, seeming oblivious to Serena's anger, the snarling look on her face worsened. Her face turned as red as the vest on her arms. "You… You! Miette!"

"What's the matter, Serena? A little competition is good! You and I seem to be the best at it," said Miette, smiling. "And don't think I won't choke like the last time we competed. I mean this for real!"

"Yeah, Serena," said Dawn. She looked confused, looking between Miette and Dawn. "What do you mean? Isn't that okay? You knew it was a competition, didn't you?"

"Besides, if you didn't want to compete, you should've come to me first," Miette winked. "We could've played on the same team this time. You and I both know we could be unstoppable if we paired up. All you had to do was give me a role in your play, and we'd be square!"

"B-But… It's a one-act play! It's just a soliloquy!" Serena protested. "I'm the only role in the play!"

"That's not what I heard," said Miette. "I heard that Bonnie has a part too."

"W-What…?" asked Serena. She closed her eyes, shaking her head and stomping her foot. "That's not true! Bonnie has a part, but it's just a nightstand! She just hands me things! I interact with her as an inanimate object!"

"But she has a speaking role!"

Serena threw her head into her hands, giving a loud exasperated gasp. Her body sunk from her standing posture, her legs bowing in and her shoulders slumping back. Her head hung down, looking dejected.

By her side, Dawn looked embarrassed for Serena. She came alongside her, patting her back gently and rubbing sheepishly. She waved to Miette. "If it helps, we could just put you in the play. I can easily write a part for you. It could be a duet!"

Though Miette did actually look concerned for Serena, her smile returned. She looked up at Dawn, her innocent posturing returning. By her side, slung over her shoulder, a small pouch-like bag hung with her things. She reached into the pouch, rifling through gently as she entered her taunt mode once more, this time directed at Dawn.

"Oh, don't worry. I joined the winning team already. This play is going to be the one to take home the gold for sure! It's a masterpiece," said Miette.

Out of Miette's bag, she took a single page from her bag—a small pamphlet for the play. On pastel colored paper, a dark, photocopied print was on the surface. She reached to hand it to Dawn, but Serena snatched it up before it reached her, taking it into her own grasp and holding it out in front of herself. Gripping the page, hunched over, Serena's eyes traced over the page quickly. By her side, Dawn came in closer, peering over her shoulder to look at the page.

On the page was a small boy, with a perfectly round head and short, stubby posture. He had an unusual metal bar going across his chest and black round buffers sticking out. All around him were pictures of steam train engines, all looking realistic enough but with cartoonish faces on the front of them. Some of the trains had names, like 'Thomas' or 'Percy'. Down beneath the boy in the center of the page was the name 'Sean'. Someone was standing beside Sean, but Serena couldn't tell who it was. It was the dark outline of someone—a tall, skinny woman, with a pointed fedora on her head and short hair, holding a Pokeball in her hand. The name beneath her was 'The Queen'.

At the very top of the page was a title. 'Pokemon XYZ: Tale's of the Kalos Railroad'.

"Wow! Looks exciting," smiled Dawn.

"Sean's a very good writer," said Miette.

"Isn't that supposed to be 'Tales'? Not 'Tale's'?" asked Serena.


	61. Chapter 61

Miette took the pamphlet away from Serena, before folding it up and slipping it into her pouch. She gave a look of disdain to Serena, looking deeply annoyed.

"I don't suppose you'll be coming to see the play then, hm? That's really a shame, considering that I've been given the role of the love interest, 'The Queen'," said Miette. She made a gentle, graceful pose, placing her hand over her heart and another over her head, her legs crossing beneath her as her body arched up. "I must say, I play the role rather well."

Serena frowned. "To be totally honest, something doesn't seem right about this play," she said. "I don't know what it is… It just seems to make my stomach feel all funny… I don't know if you should be performing in this, seriously…"

Miette sneered, giving Serena a incredulous look. She then turned her nose up at her, folding her arms. "I don't know why I should listen to you. You just seem jealous that I'm getting such a prestigious role and that my side is going to crush yours in one fell swoop!"

Serena blinked. Her frustration was only outmatched by her incredulity. "What? Miette, you can't be serious! This play looks terrible! It's got cartoon trains on it and the grammar is all over the place! There's no way this is good for you or anyone involved!"

"Serena!" said Dawn, giving Serena an annoyed look, her tone as scolding as a mother's. Serena looked surprised at this, but before she could respond or say anything she was met with Miette's own protesting.

"That's surprisingly ignorant and rude of you, Serena," said Miette. "Considering how optimistic and encouraging you've been of literally everyone else in your life. I know that Sean as a writer has flaws, but you of all people should know that it's ultimately what you do with it. I'm going to do my best as an actress and make this the best play I can! That's the point of a rivalry!"

"But… But what about what you said…?" said Serena, feeling both sides of Dawn and Miette closing in on her. "Don't… Wouldn't you rather be on my side…? Together…?"

Miette scoffed at the thought. She folded her arms even tighter, forcing her eyes shut and turning away. She snorted, shaking her head. "Really Serena? You're unbelievable. I don't think I'll be on a team that clearly doesn't want me, _no thanks_ ," she said. "Seriously Serena, you know I consider you a very important friend in my life and I'd hope you'd at least give a little consideration to what it is I'm talking about before you outright say my side is dumb and worthless. "

"I… That's not what I'm saying! Miette! Won't you—just—won't you listen to me for just a second?"

"Why should I?" Miette protested, huffing, turning her head over her shoulder to gesture in Serena's general direction. "You don't seem to care. Perhaps you can consider this rivalry over!" With a light, annoyed 'hmmph', Miette began to walk away, not caring what Serena may have had to say next, instead making a beeline for the nearest path.

"W-What…? Miette… Wait…!"

Miette had already turned and walked off. It took her only a few seconds for her to disappear down the path in the crowds of people. Only a few scattered shoeprints in the dirt were what remained of her.

Serena had only launched herself forward a few extra steps, enough for her to get over the startling realization of what Miette had said. Her gaze lingered on where Miette had been. Her shoulders slumped forward, her head hanging dejectedly as it once had moments earlier.

From behind Serena, Dawn was still standing. Her arms had folded, a stoic look on her face. She adjusted up her glasses, giving a deep, dejected sigh as she watched Serena. When Serena turned around, she only met her with the same stoic look, pitying her.

Though Dawn went to speak up, both Dawn and Serena stopped completely. There was a shuffling sound beside them—the sound of footsteps and a strange clunking sound. Both of them looked over to watch as someone new approached from the side. It was Bonnie, but just her face was visible. Her whole body was encased in a short, stubby nightstand that wandered down from the path, coming up to both of them. Her face stuck out of a round hole on the front of one of the drawers, and her pink shoes stuck out beneath the edge of the nightstand's edge.

"What do you think?" asked Bonnie.

Serena sighed, putting her head in her hands.

"It… It looks good Bonnie..." Dawn sighed as well, looking less than excited to see her. As she put on a smile, her eyes wandered downward. "Do you think you could put on some shoes that match?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Everyone's a critic."

* * *

In the dark of the large, canvas tent, the sounds of the festival had grown quiet and had been reserved to the outside. The inner chambers of the tent felt immense despite the small size of the tent's exterior that Serena had seen, the lights in the pitch-black eves of the tent pointed down like large spotlights towards the center of what looked like a staged area. Long white strips of tarp had been set over the muddied floorboards in the main area, keeping and containing the immense amount of dirt that surrounded the large pile of rubble in the center, with the tall and old mirror sticking up out of it—it was the Mirror of Outcomes, the one that Serena had seen before. A small rocky platform had been set just a few feet away from it, giving a perfect vantage point to view it in.

Serena's nose wrinkled as they entered the old, dusty tent. Though the tent itself was new, Serena could see the age of the old wooden posts that supported the eves, seeing that it belonged to a much older structure that had been apart of the park for a long time. She lingered near the opening of the tent, just outside the wide swath of light that trailed in.

Though Cynthia was talking with several assistants who had gathered near a raised control panel, she had momentarily excused herself. She stepped away for a brief moment, up towards where Dawn had gathered nearby, lingering and waiting for her. They talked quietly, just outside where Serena could hear the two of them with the amount of space between the two of them.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a moment," said Dawn

Though Serena had temporarily slipped into her own train of thought, it was immediately broken as she looked up, watching as Cynthia left the conversation between herself and Dawn. She stared for several long seconds as Cynthia disappeared into the dark corners of the tent, moving towards the slim opening at the rear where several storage units were in wait—more of her staff moving in a hurry.

Distracted and confused by Cynthia's sudden exit, Serena looked over as a shadow drew over her. Dawn approached from the sides, entering a large path of light from one of the spotlights overhead and coming into view as she approached.

"What's going on?" asked Serena. "What are we doing here…?"

"I'm working on assisting Cynthia with her preparations. What are you doing?" asked Dawn.

Serena blinked. "I… I'm not sure, actually… I mean, I'm sure there are plenty of fun exhibits that I'd like to go see, but…" Serena trailed off, looking unsure of herself. She rubbed her arm tenuously. "I guess I thought we had plans…?"

"Let me ask you something Serena," Dawn interjected.

Being caught off-guard pulled Serena from her confused state. She raised her head, looking up towards Dawn and looking confused. Though she spent one long moment trying to comprehend why she had just interrupted, Serena didn't bother. She just shook it off and decided follow Dawn's train of thought.

"What is it…?"

"Why do you think Miette can push your buttons so easily?"

"What…?" asked Serena.

"Do you not know what I'm talking about?" asked Dawn, raising an eyebrow silently. Her movements seemed nondescript, moving casually around Serena though she kept a mindful eye on her as she watched her reactions.

Serena seemed dumbstruck. As she turned the question over and over in her head, she came to a slow realization, her eyes tracing over Dawn's movements as she passed around Serena—though she didn't understand what exactly Dawn was getting at, she sensed something was off.

"I… I mean I do… I just don't know what it is you're trying to say…" said Serena. "I mean, the answer is 'no', I don't know why Miette can push my buttons so easily. I just know she does, and—"

"It makes you upset?" asked Dawn, looking at Serena directly.

"I… Yes… It does."

"Do you think it's supposed to make you upset?"

Serena froze. "Yes…?"

"Maybe you need to consider more closely what exactly Miette was saying earlier," said Dawn. "Serena, she's trying to rile you up. She knows you perform your best when you're riled up. It's not because she hates you, it's because she genuinely admires you and your skill."

"But—"

"Miette knows you won't let her walk all over you. She knows you'll stand up for yourself. Something has changed."

All the color drained from Serena's face. "Changed…?"

"Changed. You didn't stand up for yourself. You bullied her."

"But she was bullying me!"

"I was hoping you two could get along," Dawn said, her tone firm against Serena. "That was the plan for this afternoon. The goal of the Festival of Plays and the whole point of the Garden Festival is to encourage collaboration between fellow creative minds—as is the same for Pokemon Contests, as is the same for Pokemon Showcases."

Serena looked terrified.

Dawn pursed her lips, holding onto her last thought. "Something... Something changed..."


	62. Chapter 62

**shadic4566 asks:**

 **Hey Serena. Ever thought about going to Alola when you're done doing contests in Hoenn?**

* * *

 _What? I mean..._

 _I don't really know a lot about Hoenn. I mean, it sounds cool I guess._

 _I really don't know anything about Alola. I keep getting all these questions about Alola, and I really don't, just..._

* * *

Serena pounded on the last few keys of her keyboard, ending the furious typing spree she had gone on moments earlier. The last few words had been entered at breakneck pace. She gave herself a chance to reread the words on the page, retracing her train of thought, back onto what the question had been. She then placed her fingers back on the keys again, finishing out the last thought with a few more keystrokes.

* * *

 _Thanks for your question._

* * *

Sighing, Serena shut the laptop lid. The thin body of the laptop rested on Serena's knees as she set her hands down on the bench on her side, taking a small breather. She looked down at her brown leather boots, looking at the pointed tips as they stood with her feet planar, planted firmly in the lush green grass.

Overhead, a tall glass ceiling checkered with many individual panes covered the small isolated garden, letting sunlight stream in. A pond-shaped fountain took up the center of the room, made of stone and filled with water. Towards the center, three statues—intertwined in what looked like it could be a dance or a battle—of Treecko, Torchic and Mudkip stood on a central rocky platform in the center of the cool, smooth waters. A gentle trickle of water flowed from where Mudkip had planted his feet, running down over the rocky platform and streaming down small carved trails along the rock that led to moss and other vegetative growth around the Treecko statue. At the far ends of the circular garden room, tall jungle-like trees sprouted from the ground, helping with the notion that the room was not in Kalos or even Costa Nova, instead in Hoenn.

The bench that Serena sat on was one of many, but Serena was alone in the room. At the entrance, where the stair steps led into the room and out of the main hallway of the Garden World Showcase, voices traveled in from the echoing halls. Serena could hear dozens of muffled, faint voices, as well as the occasional recording of a voice in the distance from one of the many exhibits and displays.

Though there was plenty to see and here in the Hoenn showroom alone, Serena was distracted. She was focused on the gently undulating waters in the pond. She was focused on her reflection in the waters. She was looking down and in, looking at the warping and dark image of herself and her face, staring at the golden lengths of hair that framed her face. For a moment, she thought she could see the length of her hair before she had cut it, a few months before she had cut it while staring into another body of water.

A chime gently played from her laptop. It broke Serena's train of thought, forcing a blink from her. Looking down, Serena seemed surprised, looking down at the notification light. She opened the laptop, lifting the lid and staring into the screen as it turned on.

She had received a new message. A new question in her inbox. She opened it.

* * *

 **AshFan asks:**

 **Serena, if Team Rocket were to capture you, would you try to escape or wait for Ash to come to the rescue?**

* * *

"Huh…?" Serena asked to herself, quietly. "What… What could that possibly mean…?"

As Serena looked up from her laptop, looking into the churning waters of the fountain where she had seen her reflection moments earlier. A dark shadow had appeared over her shoulder—the shadow of a person.

As Serena turned she began to shriek, but she stopped herself just short of belting a full scream.

It was Ash.

"A-Ash…?"

Ash didn't say anything.

Something looked off about Ash. He seemed paler. He was more quiet, more reserved. When Serena looked up into his eyes, they seemed to move about nervously, almost seeming watery like he was going to cry. He was breathing strange, only breathing through his mouth and through short gasps.

"S-Sorry..." said Ash.

Ash suddenly flung a burlap bag over Serena's head, immersing her in a world of darkness. Serena didn't know what to do for several seconds before she realized what was happening. She shrieked, feeling Ash grab her by the arms firmly—hands that certainly didn't feel like Ash's. An arm wrapped firmly beneath her chin and around her neck, suddenly yanking backwards. Serena kicked and yanked forward, fighting against Ash's force. She turned her body violently, yanking herself away and suddenly breaking free of his hold on him. She launched forward, hopping up onto her feet and standing upright. With the bag still over her head, she only ran a few short feet ahead before she hit a rock and flung herself into the pond ahead of her.

Serena's screams didn't stop her from falling into the cold pool of water. It hit her with a sudden force, knocking all the breath out of her. When she went to breathe, she realized she couldn't as she felt the burlap bag suddenly soak with water and vacuum to her face. She choked, trapped in a cold wet darkness that smothered her. Even when her arms flailed and tried to find rocks nearby to grab to and pull herself above water, pulling herself above water did no good to help her breathe.

As she struggled, Serena felt another hand yank her from the water, pulling her up above the surface. Her body turned suddenly, feeling the bag yanked from off her head. Light and air came flooding to Serena. She took a deep breath—

—and stifled another shriek.

All around her, in the air, hazy yellow particles drifted. She had been immersed in a cloud of yellow particles—they were everywhere she looked. Her eyes darted down suddenly, looking to the source. At the shore of the pond-shaped fountain, Pikachu was standing there. It was the Pikachu that she had known before, but something was off about Pikachu—he seemed more aggressive, in addition to having paler yellow fur. All of the yellow particles came from him, radiating from his yellow body.

"Stun Spore..." Serena breathed.

She looked up to Ash one last time. She was shocked, her own face turning pale as she looked up to him and realized what was happening.

"Mirror Ash…?"

A sudden burst of electric shock rippled through Serena's limbs. Crackles of yellow electricity rippled all over her body, making Serena's body convulse and seize. She fought the sensation for only a moment before she suddenly fell unconscious. Her eyes closed limply, her body wavering and wobbling before it suddenly sank back. She fell into the water behind her, making a gentle splash when her body came to rest.

Serena's body was half above water. Her red vest had sank down into the fountain waters and seemed to glow in the clear waters. Her pink dress was completely soaked, looking wet and mottled on the surface of the water. Her legs were sprawled out in front of her, her stockings soaked a deep black. A golden wreath of soaked blonde hair floated around Serena's head. Several scrapes were on her cheek. Her eyes were shut, looking like she was in the middle of a peaceful sleep.

A shadow drew over her. Mirror Ash was standing over her, looking down over his handiwork.


	63. Chapter 63

"Pika!"

The sound of Pikachu broke the silence abruptly—Mirror Ash's Pikachu. It made Mirror Ash jump, making him suddenly turn around and look at Pikachu in fear. Catching his breath, feeling his heart-rate spiking, Mirror Ash forced himself to relax and calm down. He turned his attention back to Serena as she lay unconscious in the lapping waters.

Mirror Ash kneeled down over Serena, stooping down close to where she was. His arm reached out carefully, hesitating for only a moment before he reached down and placed his hand just beneath her chin. His fingers numbly found on the cold surface where her pulse was, making sure she was still alive.

"O-Okay..." Mirror Ash smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. "You're alive..." As he caught his breath, looking at how idyllic Serena looked, his excitement slowly faded. He looked more worried. As he looked back towards the entrance of the Hoenn area, he traced an invisible path across the ground to the exit with his eyes, figuring out in his head how he was going to get Serena out of there.

Mirror Ash quickly stood up. He reached behind Serena, grabbing her arm and lifting her limp body up. He dragged her across until her body had turned. Then, holding beneath her shoulders, Mirror Ash dragged her out of the pond and pulled her towards the stone path. Pikachu raced alongside, watching curiously as Mirror Ash dragged her out. He grunted, seeming incredibly weak for the task, dragging her across towards the edge of the entrance.

Then Mirror Ash stumbled. The heel of his foot kicked something, and then he felt his backside collide with it. He dropped Serena with a sudden weakness. He felt himself stumbling back but he caught himself on the opening edge of the nearby wall. Groaning, reaching down to feel how sore the back of his foot was, he looked up and across to where the object he had collided with was. Cursing under his breath, he narrowed his eyes at the object that had tripped him.

A nightstand was sitting in the entrance of the Hoenn area.

Mirror Ash gave a strange, cock-eyed glance at the nightstand. "Who would just leave a nightstand sitting there?" he asked.

Seeing where Serena had fallen on the ground, Mirror Ash went to her, reaching underneath her shoulders, hoisting up with a sudden upward motion and a loud grunt. Serena's head wobbled limply, her breathing silent and slowed from suddenly falling unconscious. Her legs dragged behind her, her boots bouncing on each step as Mirror Ash walked backwards.

* * *

The nightstand sitting in the entrance of the Hoenn area shook gently. A small head-sized hole opened on the front of it, a pair of tiny eyes staring out of it.

Bonnie, standing on the edges of the bottom walls inside the dark wooden nightstand, stared out into the pathway as someone dressed as Ash—who very much wasn't Ash—pretended to be Ash, calling out to people in the crowd and trying to get help as if he hadn't caused any of what had happened. Her eyes narrowed, a deep concerned frown appearing on her lips as she stared out, watching as the other, impostor Pikachu ran out into the crowd, chasing after Mirror Ash and Serena.

On her shoulder, a small shadow moved. A pair of beady eyes blinked in the darkness—belonging to Dedenne, watching out from the hole in the nightstand as Bonnie stared in concern.

"Nene..." Dedenne squeaked quietly.

"I know," said Bonnie. "We need to get the real Ash first..."

* * *

Three Nurse Joys were all helping lift Serena onto a gurney in the middle of the hallway, strapping her in as the suspended wheels beneath bounced under her new weight. Her head rolled unconsciously, her body limp and unconscious. A small crackle of electricity sparked over her arms and made her twitch, making the Joys talk hurriedly to one another as they finished strapping her in.

Only a few steps away, Mirror Ash watched from the sidelines, his Pikachu by his side. As a gigantic Chansey walked in-between him, the Nurse Joys and Serena, coming up to push the gurney, Ash reached into his pocket for a small phone—one that clearly didn't belong to him.

A small blank message had appeared on-screen. Mirror Ash quickly typed out a new message:

'Miette is the star of the show now.'

Mirror Ash hit send.


	64. Chapter 64

A large lake took up the center of the massive of the park, shimmering and pure as it reflected the cloudless sky above. Park activities were scattered all around the lake in lieu of the festival, with large and small tents clustered around the edges of the lake, filling in paths and clearings between trees as hundreds of people traveled between tents and viewed the many different attractions.

Near the edge of the lake, a clearing between two large swathes of forest opened up. A large fenced area took up the center, people gathered all around clamoring to see what was in the very center of the clearing. It was a large Pokemon, covered in what looked like armor, sprawled across the ground. Tarps had been laid on the ground, meeting with the edges of the armor as it covered it all, abstracting plates that had been set in the ground to keep the Pokemon from escaping. Between openings in the armor, gray, purplish flesh could be seen, belonging to a strange, otherworldly Pokemon housed beneath the thick metal.

"Hey, Ash!"

Ash turned from where he was standing. He had been hurrying to go see what the commotion was with the Pokemon, and had just stopped in his tracks. He looked back, searching through the swarms of people on the grassy path to look back at where the voice had come from.

He eventually found the source of the voice—it was Miette, standing amongst the throngs of people that were walking towards the Pokemon near the lake. She waved gently, then hurried up to meet him and Pikachu. She stopped just short when she caught up to him, meeting Ash's confused gaze with a gentle smile.

"Whoa, hey Miette!" said Ash. "What are you doing here? Where's Serena?"

"Oh, Serena?" asked Miette. She looked hurt for a moment, remembering her conversation with Serena from earlier. She shook off the feeling, focusing on the moment and bringing her smile back. "Oh, I already said hi. She had things to do with Dawn..."

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, a light crackling of electricity sparking from his cheeks as he smiled wide. Perched on Ash's shoulder, his ears perked up when Miette looked at him,

"Hi Pikachu," Miette grinned. She reached into her pouch at her side, rifling through briefly before producing a Pokeball of her own. She pressed the trigger and pointed the Pokeball, firing a red laser onto the ground and making Slurpuff materialize. Placing the Pokeball in her bag, she turned her attention back to Ash.

"I hear there's going to be a new Pokemon being unveiled here," said Ash. "I can't wait to see it!"

"I heard that too," said Miette. "I was wondering if you wanted to go see the unveiling of the new Pokemon together? Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Sure!" Ash beamed.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming one and all!"

Standing in the middle of the gated clearing, Cynthia was drawing the attention of all the crowd that had gathered near the metal fencing. She kept a healthy distance from the large, armored beast that was held down to the grass-covered ground, the only person who even got close to it. She waited, her eyes scanning the crowd as she waited for them to become quiet and allow her to speak once again, letting her voice be heard.

"I hope that you are all enjoying the many festivities of the Garden Festival. I hope that I am not keeping you from any of the events that may be taking place throughout the park today," said Cynthia, her voice loud and projecting as she faced the surrounding crowds. "I am very glad that you are all here today, because we have something unprecedented to show you today."

A hush fell over the crowd, only a slight cacophony of murmurs traveling through the gathered people. All of them stared at Cynthia, waiting for her to speak.

As Cynthia caught her breath, preparing to project, she took another glance throughout the crowd. At the edge of the closest fence, she saw Ash and Pikachu, waiting and watching with baited breath. Though she went to wave and smile, she hesitated when she saw that he wasn't alone. Someone different was clearly with Ash—a blue-haired with orange ribbons in her hair, a Slurpuff at her side. Though it certainly seemed off, Cynthia didn't let it faze her. She reached beneath the blue ends of her blouse and found where several Pokeballs had been holstered beneath her shirt.

Taking two Pokeballs at a time, putting two in either one of her hands, Cynthia pointed the white buttons out onto different areas before pressing them. Two arcing red lasers fired out into mid-air in the general direction of either corner of the fenced enclosure. Her fingers nimbly swapped the empty Pokeballs down in her grip and pulled the full Pokeballs onto the top of her grip, before she fired them into perpendicular corners of the space. Four Magnemite all materialized in the corners, hurtling through the air before correcting their trajectories in mid-air, stopping short above the crowds.

Cynthia glanced at each of the Magnemite individually, meeting with their singular glassy eyes. She then slashed her arm out to the side in a coordinated gesture, giving them an inaudible signal to follow. She watched as all four Magnetmite flew high into the air, forming the corners of a perfect square. As she did, she took several steps back from the clearing and the large Pokemon in the center of the field, reaching the edge of the gates.

"Magnemites!" Cynthia called out to the skies. "Light Screen!"

All four Magnemite suddenly charged, energy collecting around their singular orb bodies, glowing brightly in the noon-day sky. A magnetic resonance hummed throughout the skies and radiated towards the crowds beneath. At once, the energy broke from their bodies. A wave of pure light emanated from each of the Pokemon in the air, launching towards the field. All of the light waves slammed together, creating a gigantic dome of light energy, a huge bubble all around the armored Pokemon on the ground. Waves of light washed over the dome in the center as more waves came from the Magnemite, the dome looking pearly. The skies all around the field seemed to darken in the background, overwhelmed by the powerful surge of light in the center of the field.

"Pokemon Researchers have always known that there are hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of Pokemon that have gone extinct from our past, the vast majority of which have never been seen or interacted with even the earliest of humans," said Cynthia, her voice calling out. Despite the immense amount of energy from the center of the field, very little sound was generated. The hush that had fallen over the crowd allowed Serena to speak. "Of those many extinct Pokemon, it is estimated that only a hundred can be considered 'legendary' by any standard. It is rare when any one of those Pokemon are discovered with the means of being reanimated, let alone when any one of these are a legendary."

Though a flurry of interested murmurs had erupted in the crowd between words, Cynthia didn't seem interested in any of it. Instead, she remained focused on a single thought, one that seemed to be repeating in her brain ceaselessly, distracting from any possible outside thought.

"It is even rarer," Cynthia raised her voice once again, interrupting the sounds of the crowd, "when one is found alive and undiscovered."

Cynthia raised both her arms this time in another gesture to all four Magnemite in the air. Beyond the vast waves of light, it was near impossible to see them as anything more than dim objects in the sky. When they had seen the signal down on the ground, it became apparent by the extreme sounds of resonance that came down to the ground, seeming to radiate from everything around them. The waves of pure electric energy traveled through the air, passing through everything nearby.

Inside the glowing dome of pure light, the light became less intense, showing the inside of what was beneath the shield. Thick chunks of metal armor and other large restraining objects came undone and floated into the air, flying high in the pulsing environment beneath the dome. Hundreds of metal pieces flew up and swirled in the air, turning silently under the electromagnetic power and control of the Magnemite in-air. A massive, dark shadow rose from among the metal plates of armor that had been separated, standing almost as tall as the large dome of pure light. It was a large, ancient-looking Pokemon, the dim silhouette of its form seeming malformed and sickly.

Standing on incredibly thin, bony legs, the large distended stomach of the creature seemed to weigh its standing posture down. It had a long, pear-shaped body with many thin and closely-structured ribs closely built to its chest that trailed up the ever-thinning length. A long tail trailed from its rear end and snaked around its legs, running long until it became whip-like and thin. Thin, bony arms extended out from its shoulders to spread a pair of large, bat-like wings. The head was long and pointed, with a nose that went incredibly long and became so thin at the end it disappeared. Bony crevices took up where the eyes would have been on the top of its head, in favor of a tiny pair of glowing eyes on the underside of its head. Flashes of light from the shield showed glimpses of the thin, graying purple skin that covered its body, stretched to tautness. Though seeming gigantic, it was likely the size of three people tall.

"This is the Needlenose," announced Cynthia, "a large Pokemon discovered on one of the sister islands of Costa Nova."

Beneath the dome-shaped shield, muffled cries could be heard among the chattering of the crowd, coming from beneath and from Needlenose. Many seemed struck with awe, others with horror. Through the intense light of the shield, the gigantic Needlenose was peering out with it's overshadowed eyes, looking down at members of the crowd.

It grew silent, eyeing them all.

* * *

"So Ash, what did you think of that Pokemon?"

Ash had hastily been eating through his basket of fries. A burger wrapper lay discarded on its side, shoved to the far edge of the basket as he scooped thick ketchup onto his fries, forcing them into his mouth. He looked up from the standing table he stood at, only a mere few feet away from the concessions stand with the exact same colors as his burger wrapper. By his side, Pikachu was standing on the standing table, fries and ketchup stuck to his fur as he looked up with little clue what was happening.

Miette had answered the question. Ash stared at her for several more seconds, before cracking a wide and excited smile.

"You mean Needlenose? It's awesome! I'd love to see it outside that weird shield thingy that Cynthia was making. Maybe I can ask her to see it. Would you like to come?"

Miette looked not nearly as enthusiastic as Ash did. She almost looked shy, fidgeting lightly in her place as she hid her true feelings on the issue. "No… No thanks… I'm sure you and Pikachu would certainly enjoy that," she smiled.

"Yeah!" Ash said, spitting chunks of fries into his basket. "And Serena and Clemont and Bonnie would absolutely love to go see a Pokemon like Needlenose! That would be amazing!"

Miette's smile truly faltered for a moment. Though her nose wrinkled at the sight of Ash spewing chunks of fries into the basket, she seemed focused on something else. She was staring right through him, watching his eyes even as he turned his attention fully to his food. She chewed her lip silently as she thought, her gaze growing more curious as it followed him.

"Do you really think Serena would be up for seeing something like that?" asked Miette.

Ash looked up at Miette for a confused second. "What do you mean?"

Miette played things coyly. She smiled lightly, her fingertip dancing on the standing table's edge as she stood near it, watching her polish as her fingertip played with the rubber spacer. Just beneath the table, by her side, she heard Slurpuff's low, gurgling groans as she ate from a large bowl of food underneath, one that she held up to cover her proportionally tiny face.

"I just think that… Well…" said Miette. "Don't you think Serena's been behaving strangely lately?"

"Oh… Really? You think so?" Ash said, munching on fries as he thought to himself, looking somewhat absent. "I mean, I guess I think you're right. She has been a little different lately…"

Though Miette looked somewhat satisfied with that answer, she felt no joy. She loosened up a bit, her posturing herself a little taller, her back straightening and her feet planting evenly on the ground. The table she leaned against shook a bit as Slurpuff made some noisy slurping sounds from beneath her bowl. Though Miette would normally be annoyed with such sounds coming in the middle of the conversation, she was deep in thought and didn't notice a thing.

"Do you know why?" asked Miette.

Ash, still eating, cocked his head slightly as he thought. He came back looking blank, shrugging and shaking his head.

"Not really… I guess Serena gets weird like that from time to time…" said Ash. "I mean, lately she's been much more confident, but I guess she's just not right now…"

Miette couldn't help a smile and a light snort. "It's not uncommon for girls to get moody, especially if a big change is coming," she said. Though she had made the comment while lost in thought, she returned to the conversation in seconds, focusing herself back on Ash. "Do you think you'll ask why she seems so out of character?"

Ash thought about for a moment. He then smiled. "I think I will. That's a great idea Miette!"

Miette would've grinned. Instead, she smiled warmly, looking genuinely satisfied.


	65. Chapter 65

"Pi-ika!"

Ash stopped abruptly. The sound that had come from Pikachu sounded like a cry of distress, and it had been loud and piercing. He turned his head and looked behind him. Beside his head, standing on his shoulder, Pikachu pointed down the dirt path that weaved through the festival, pointing up towards the end where someone was running.

It was Bonnie. She was running at full speed, towards Ash, her eyes clamped shut and her face looking distressed. Ash could see an oiliness around her eyes, realizing that she was crying.

Bonnie's impact was instant. She ran up to Ash and slammed full-speed into his leg, wrapping her arms around it and hugging it tightly. It knocked Ash back a step, but didn't shake his surprise at all to see her as he looked down, looking in fear. He looked up, watching as Dedenne came running full speed just behind her.

"Ash!" Bonnie wailed, her voice muffled in Ash's pant leg.

Through the material of his pants, Ash could feel Bonnie shaking. He reached down tentatively, feeling for her head as he stared down silently. As he hesitated, he gave a confused look up from where Bonnie was.

Standing only a few short feet from where Ash and Bonnie were, Miette looked on silently, looking just as confused and concerned as Ash did. When Ash looked up and looked over, Miette met his gaze with the same worry. A low rumble signaled Slurpuff's approach as she wandered in from beside Miette, shuffling close to her legs and watching the scene with a silent somberness through glossy pink eyes. Miette's arms folded together uncomfortably, her hand brushing up around her lips and beneath her chin as she thought in silence.

Ash looked lastly to Pikachu, from where he was perched on his shoulder, then he looked back down to Bonnie. Tears flowed from her hot, red and puffy eyes, her sobs audible and unending. Ash's tentative hand that had hovered moved down towards her scalp, brushing over her hair reassuringly.

He then squatted, hunching down to Bonnie's level. With a reassuring hand on Bonnie's shoulder, he backed her up a step to move himself in front of her. As he held her shoulder, looking to her for some kind of response, Bonnie eventually faced him with her runny eyes, sniffling quietly.

"Bonnie… What's wrong?" asked Ash.

Bonnie's lip quivered as more tears pooled beneath her eyes, her face welling up with emotion.

"He… He took Serena!" she bursted, her face retching in terror.

Ash blinked. As he let the words sink into him, glimmers of realization appeared in his eyes. His mouth opened silently as he stared off into space, then shifted his gaze back towards Bonnie and looking back into her eyes. He looked intense, determined, almost vengeful.

"Who…?" asked Ash.

* * *

The whole room felt like it was spinning for Serena. A sense of stability slowly came to her, everything feeling normal and less nauseous as she stared up at the ceiling, her state of mind slowly return. The dark ceiling was all she could see for several long seconds as the world around her focused, showing the dim metal struts that went across the ceiling, casting long shadows over the metal surface. Her head shifted silently, feeling the padding of a pillow all around her, caressing her head and pressing against her hair. The weight of her eyelids slowly eased, and she felt more comfortable looking around.

And then, a sound.

Serena's head lifted gently from where it rested on the pillow. Her head rolled forward limply, like her neck was unused to the weight of her head. Her face felt heavy, the muscles beneath her eyes feeling like they were sagging and limp. Through the buzzing presence of a headache, her eyes strained to look forward as she looked across the dark room.

A sound like a sobbing could be heard. It was clear and audible, the only sound in the room. The sound was childlike, sounding frustrated and expressive, but the voice clearly belonged to a man. Through the cloudiness of Serena's conscience, she could put together that something was strange about the voice, especially when she could begin to make out words in the strange, gurgling and frustrated sound.

"Grr… No…! Stupid… Stupid… Why? Why did he have to—? _Arrgghhh!_ Oh gosh… Why…?"

Across the small room, Serena could see a person in the far corner, sitting on a chair. His short legs barely reached the floor, his sneakers kicking dully against the legs of the chair and the smooth linoleum floor. A pair of baggy, deep blue pants hugged his legs. Just above, he was wearing a deep green sweater, a single red stripe going horizontally across his chest. He was extremely pale, looking like he was from a foreign place and not from Kalos. A mess of shaggy, tan and brown hair covered his head and obscured his face.

Serena cleared her throat silently, wanting to speak. Instead she made a sound, like a pained swallowing. When she tried to move, the whole bed frame of the hospital bed she was in rattled loudly around her. It took Serena several seconds to realize what she had done, and when she looked down at her arms she realized what had happened. She had tried to move her arm moments earlier, trying to sit herself up, but realized something was holding her arms back. She looked down at her wrists, seeing that there were thick pieces of silvery duct tape strapping her wrists to the metal railing of the bed. The pieces stretched and made peeling sounds as she tried to pull away, but only after she used a lot of force. She tugged hard and tried to pull away with little to no avail, gritting her teeth and grunting quietly.

In the midst of trying to free her wrists, Serena had realized that the sobbing had stopped. Her motions slowed and froze completely as a look of silent horror dawned on her. She looked up across the room, looking to the chair in the corner, seeing that the small boy had stopped his crying—at least the audible part. He was looking up at her, a tiny pair of dark eyes looking up at her, puffy and red with tears. Though Serena stared at him in horror for a few long seconds, her expression of terror faded quietly, looking more curious and even a little concerned for him.

"Oh my gosh..." the boy muttered quietly, slowly standing himself up from the chair.

Watching as he got up, his lanky posture becoming more apparent to Serena as he stood up, Serena felt her instincts taking over. Her body shifted uncomfortably back in the bed, pressing against the uncomfortable and stiff hospital bed. She felt a bit of resistance and looked down, looking at her ankles and where they had been bound to the rails similarly, but given more distance. Her boots had been removed, her naked toes curling in the cold air of the room. Serena cringed more and more as he got closer, wanting to try and resist as much as she could but feeling that she had no wiggle room.

"I'm so sorry… I forgot to untie you… I really meant to do that, I'm sorry..."

Longish, filthy fingernails peeled at the silvery layers of duct tape that bound Serena's wrists down, picking lightly at them and barely making any sort of progress. Serena's hand instinctively jerked, her fingers clawing at the metal post as she felt the boy's fingers mashing her wrists against the metal posts. A small tearing sound came from a side where the tape had been removed, the tape suddenly tearing as Serena's arm tore free of her bonds.

Though Serena could feel the boy's presence nearby, she ignored it. She quickly reached over for her other bound wrist, using her nimble fingers to strip layers of tape and eventually free it. She focused diligently, freeing herself in mere seconds, all the while feeling his presence linger by her side. She could feel him nearby. She could _smell_ him.

Something then caught her off-guard. She felt a hand on her stomach, gently caressing it. The feeling made Serena yelp in shock, leaping suddenly from where she was sitting. She scrambled away from where she had been sitting up against the back of the hospital bed, scrambling to the far opposite side of the bed from where the boy was, gripping the railing by her side in a desperate bid to get away. She could only go so far before she felt the taped bonds around her ankles restricting her movement, her legs pulling to free her bare feet. Instead of panicking, Serena caught her breath and looked back, looking to the source of the hand that had landed on her. She looked up at the boy in terror, then back down at the place where he had touched her. It was on her stomach, where her pink dress still covered her, looking filthy from having taken a brief, surprise dive in the pond. It was still soaked.

"My… My name is Sean…"

Serena, in the middle of catching her breath, looked over and up to Sean, giving him a cold look. She put together in her head the small bit of information with what she already knew—what she already remembered. As she searched her thoughts she had a fragment of a memory, the memory of the miniature poster that was in Miette's hands. The view of Sean that she had matched the cartoonish boy that had been on the pamphlet.

Though Serena saw some semblance of shame in his eyes, looking genuinely concerned for her well-being, Serena's resolve stood. She frowned, looking angry.

"Don't... Don't touch me, alright? You can't just... touch people like that!" said Serena, curtly, her eyes darting away as she tried to settle herself in the bed. "And… And you can't just tie people up... Or kidnap them!"

Sean's expression darkened. He looked gloomy, worn out. "I… I didn't mean to..."

"How do you not 'mean to kidnap someone'?"

" _It was that stupid Mirror Ash!_ " Sean snapped, looking vengeful. "I told him not to muck it up, and he did! He got you hurt! And he was mean!"

The sudden outburst caught Serena off-guard. She looked momentarily stunned, looking terrified as Sean tried to contain his anger after such an explosive reaction. By her side, she could hear his heavy, panting breathing as he momentarily recovered. The strength she had shown moments earlier had faded, and she looked as weak as she felt.

A memory slowly came to Serena, an action appearing through her eyes. She remembered the fountain—the source of her soaked dress. She remembered a haze of yellow spores, and Pikachu, the source of the spores. She remembered talking—very briefly—with a person. A boy, possibly Ash, but someone who only looked like him and did not act like him. Her thoughts lingered on the lone words that Sean had spoken moments earlier. She repeated them quietly.

"Mirror Ash…" Serena whispered to herself, repeating it to himself.

" _Aaggghhh! Stupid! Stupid!_ "

The loud outburst from Sean made Serena flinch again. Her head turned to look at Sean as he stumbled—almost without any sense of control—towards the wall opposite the hospital bed Serena was in. He slammed himself against the cupboard walls with a resounding thud, giving a shout of pain and annoyance when flung at it. Though his whole body slouched against it, his sneakers kicked repeatedly at the wall and made all of the doors on it rattle and shake, making glass bottles and other equipment inside shake from the force. His arms flopped around by his side as his body twisted with a childlike frustration.

After several long seconds of holding himself to the wall and sobbing, Sean turned around abruptly, his feet stumbling over each other as he flipped. His head pushed against the wall, his body turning on that point before he flung the back of his body to it and flopped down, his legs suddenly giving way and dropping him to sit on the floor. For a few moments Serena wondered if Sean had seriously hurt himself, the thud of him dropping like a stone to the floor making the linoleum floors shake, the metal frame of the hospital bed suddenly jumping. When Serena scrambled to the side of the bed to look over and look down at Sean, she saw him huddled up against the wall and clutching his legs close to his body, his head buried in his hands as he sobbed audibly.

A thought crossed Serena's mind and she looked down to her ankles, seeing the same kind of silvery tape that held them to the posts—a length of tape between what was wrapped around her ankle and the metal post nearby. From where she was sitting up, she moved her stiff legs, feeling resistance from the tape just enough to keep her from planting her foot down. She could rest the heels of her feet on the hospital bed and that would be enough to lift her legs and pull her whole body close enough to reach the bonds.

Though many thoughts were coming to her the longer she looked at the bonds, she could hear in the background that the sobbing was subsiding. It was sounding like Sean was trying to clear his throat. She paused quietly, trying not to seem like she was caught off-guard, silently straightening her legs to look more 'natural' in the bed.

"Mirror Ash… He promised… He promised he'd let me see you and meet you…" Sean said, his voice a whimper. "But… Not like this… There was no kidnapping when we talked… There was none of this in the deal we made… I… I don't know what he's doing any more!"

Serena looked quiet. She was listening intently, trying to make out the rising and falling tone of what Sean was saying.

"What is he doing now…?"

Sean's hands lowered from his eyes. They looked red and puffy, and they looked up at Serena, looking silently. He was fighting his tears, his lips quivering as he tried to muster up the courage for his next thought.

"He's… He's going to see Ash… The real Ash…"

* * *

Ash's hand on Bonnie's shoulder eased her back, making her step away for a moment to face him. He looked down at her, looking her in the eye.

"We're going to get Serena back, okay?" said Ash. "And we're going to do whatever it takes."

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu cried, looking as determined as ever.

Sniffling, Bonnie nodded profusely. She smiled briefly, looking at Pikachu."Okay..."

Standing beside Ash, watching the whole scene unfold from outside the inner circle of Bonnie, Ash and Pikachu, Miette was watching with a worried look. Though she was watching the scene with great interest, she was focused on one detail—it was Ash's fist. Beneath the fingerless openings of his gloves, she could see the skin turning a bone white, clenched tightly. She could see it in his eyes, something preoccupying him that wasn't in front of him.


	66. Chapter 66

A fluttering sound came from the far end of the tent, the canvas flaps of the large circus-style tent being opened gently by a dark figure. Light poured in from the opening of the tent and into the dark, quiet space, a long shadow being drawn from a boy who stood in the entrance. By his hat, backpack, and the Pikachu perched on his shoulder, it was clearly Ash.

Before taking any more steps into the tent, Ash took a slow, nervous breath. Something uncharacteristic of Ash.

"Oh, hey Ash! Good to see you," said a cheerful voice from the dark corners of the tent.

Ash had been caught off-guard. His head turned jerkily, looking sharply over towards where the voice had come from. He kept his resolve, still looking nervous but forcing himself to swallow the feeling.

It was Dawn. She was lounging on several wooden crates that had been stacked around one of the tall posts that held up the gigantic tent, her legs sprawled out over the length of several crates, her back slouched against a tall crate. In her lap she had a book perched, some adventure novel she was deep into. Her bag had been set on the crate she rested against, sitting at the very top, far out of reach from her. A small glass of Oran Berry juice had been placed by her side, half-empty.

Ash took another step in, letting the tent flap fall behind him and shroud him in darkness. Several steps later, he silently emerged from the dark of the entrance and stepped into the warm light of a lantern by Dawn's side. As he got closer, more of his face was apparent. He looked ragged, his face pale and drained of color. His stare was dull and dim, staring down at Dawn as he walked but seeming to look past her. A look of deep concern was on his face, his movements nervous and unsure.

"Ash, what's wrong?" asked Dawn.

Ash stayed quiet as he got closer. His sneakers shuffled on the old dirt of the ground quietly, moving past cables that snaked along the floor. Pikachu, who had been perched on his shoulder, had disappeared, and instead reappeared by Ash's side following at a close trot.

"Dawn..." Ash said, his voice at a weak mumble. "Serena… She's been kidnapped…"

Dawn looked unresponsive for a second, looking deeply confused. She then looked up to Ash, looking as worried as she looked empathetic. "Oh… Oh my Ash, I'm terribly sorry to hear that…" she said, quietly.

When Ash went to speak again, he hesitated. His eyes were cast down, avoiding eye contact with Dawn, something she seemed concerned by. In the upper corners of his vision, he could see Dawn sitting herself up a bit higher, taking a more empathetic posture. From his side, a dark area where Dawn couldn't see, he reached back, searching for something as subtly as he could.

"Dawn… I need your help…"

" _Ice Beam._ "

As Ash looked up, seeming mildly confused, a sudden blast of cold energy cut in front of Ash. As he went to step back, trying to get away he tripped over some of the loose cables that snaked over the floor, falling with a dull thud to the dirty floor. He had been temporarily blinded by the flash of energy, not knowing what it was. When he looked up at where he thought he had seen the flash, he saw a haze of frost, a trail of steam that cut across the air diagonally, having come from the dark corners of the far right where Dawn's Piplup was perched on a crate, poised and pointed down. Ash's eyes darted to the far left, looking over at where the trail of frost ended, looking at a blast mark in the ground—a ring of frost on the dirt—had appeared where his Pikachu had been standing moments earlier.

Ash finally looked back up at Dawn, seeing where she had hopped up onto the crates she had been sitting on moments earlier, standing above the whole scene. She looked down at Ash with contempt.

"What do you really want?" Dawn spat, her breath picked up with the tense situation.

"What are you talking about…? Dawn… What the heck…?"

"Give it up. You're not Ash," said Dawn. "You're some version of Ash. You think you can just pretend to know me like the real Ash does?"

On the ground, Ash—Mirror Ash—looked back down at his side. Where he had reached for his left side, reaching for the utility belt and the holstered Pokeballs on the side, there was now an empty slot. Slowly, his eyes lifted to look back at Dawn, seeing where she was poised tensely.

A shuffling in the darkness sounded unmistakably like Mirror Ash's Pikachu, a quiet and high-pitched whine coming from the corners of where he had been knocked away from the blast. As Ash sat himself up a bit more, pushing himself off the ground, Dawn thumped her boots on the crate loudly, the sharp sound breaking through the tense atmosphere and getting Mirror Ash's attention. A snapping sound came from the holster beneath her skirt as she dropped a Pokeball into her grasp, a charged sound coming from the Pokeball as it bounced around in her hand.

"Come on, you've got ten seconds before Piplup gives Pikachu another round of Ice Beam and tries it on you," said Dawn. "No Pokemon battles today. Come quietly now, or there'll be trouble."

Ash seemed dazed from his impact, more than he realized. His motions were slow and dizzied at first, but he stopped himself from making any moves. His breath was quick and paced, seeming nervous and shuddering as he tried to calm himself. With his knees on the ground, holding himself up, he stared at the ground, arms at his side and hands firmly planted on the earthy ground. He swallowed, fighting off any nervous energy.

" _You_ , come on," Dawn said, raising her voice aggressively. "No games. There's no way you could've faked your way through _years_ of friendship? Imitate every little tick and behavior Ash has? What the heck was your plan to begin with? Do you think I wouldn't notice? Do you honestly—"

Dawn's voice was abruptly cut off. Piplup suddenly turned to levy a second powerful Ice Beam, but instead a sudden crack of lightning flew across the space, ripping through the misty trails of the last Ice Beam, pummeling Piplup directly on the chest and sending Piplup flying back, tiny flippers doing nothing to stop him from flipping through the air. The loud thump against a distant post was deafening, guaranteeing unconsciousness.

A sudden shout of surprise came from Dawn as she felt herself yanked back. She caught herself from stumbling, just in time to get pressed to a wall of crates behind her. Her body made an impact, thumping and shaking the crates briefly. The soles of her boots skidded over the crates, her legs kicking and her feet furiously trying to find some footing. As she fought, finally getting a bit of standing ground and trying to pull herself forward, her head finally looked to where she was being pulled back. It was her arm, and something was gripping it. Her arm was tangled, and to her horror she saw that her arm was wrapped with vines. Her face turned white, her eyes growing wide and her movements turning more violent as she tried to pull away. More of the vines appeared through a gap between crates, snaking out like tentacles and wrapping around her arm. One of Dawn's hands that had reached towards the mess of vines quickly encircling her arm quickly pulled away as the dry, thin ends of the vines started to brush them, threatening to entangle her hands in it.

The grip on her arm ran from her wrist up to her elbow, until several thick vines wrapped up past her elbow. Her attempts to pull away were suddenly stifled by the feeling of bending—her arm locked at the joint from trying to bend at all. When her whole body tried to jerk away, the feeling of her arm being bent the other way made her resistance suddenly falter. A light shriek of pain escaped her, the sudden shock making her drop to her knees and threaten to take her arm with it. The weight and force of the vines took her down, making her kneel on the crates.

With Dawn's quieting shrieks and other protesting sounds reaching Mirror Ash, he took a final, suppressing breath. He stood himself up gently and slowly, moving as though the ground may shift beneath him. His head raised finally to look at the handiwork of where Dawn was on the crates, forced to her knees in submission.

"Dawn… I'm sorry…"

A bewildered Dawn raised her head to look over at Mirror Ash, her face looking humbled with fear. She gave a surprised shriek when the crates that had vines snaking through them were lifted away with ease, looking as if they were weightless. From the darkness behind the stacks of crates, a new Pokemon drifted through, suspended in mid-air and floating just as weightlessly. It was a Carnivine, a matrix of vines flowing down from one of his arms and meeting with the entanglement covering Dawn's arm.

Hearing Mirror Ash's footsteps coming closer, Dawn's head turned in a panic to look back at him. She kept a careful eye on Carnivine as he drifted closer, his haunting figure obscured in darkness beyond the lantern that had tipped in Dawn's struggle.

"Ash… This… This is ridiculous! Let… Tell Carnivine to let me go…! Now…!"

"Dawn… I'm really… Really sorry…" said Mirror Ash, a bit of his nervousness coming through his voice. "I… I don't have a choice… I need the mirror, Dawn… And I need Cynthia… I need to know when they are... And I need to make sure I won't have to fight anyone else..."

Another abrupt sound of pain came from Dawn as she tried to struggle, more of the vines crawling up her arm in thicker sections. Gritting her teeth and fighting the pain in her arm, she tried to shift her whole body away in one violent swing. Her face clenched up in a mixture of pain and rage as the tentacle-like vines constricted and clamped down on her arm, a loud shout coming from her. Her face was turning red, the onset of pain not subsiding so easily as Carnivine made the sensation last. She opened her eyes just enough as she felt more of the vines crawl up her arm, moving quickly over her shoulders. Beyond her vision, she could feel the vines constricting around her neck and hugging tightly beneath her head. The exposed skin of her neck above her tank top cringed silently, unable to get away as the vines brushed against it, sending a humiliating tickling sensation through her body.

"Nnnghghh… Ash… Please… Wherever you come from... I know we're friends… You wouldn't do this to me… You can't… I know you won't…" Dawn groaned, her neck and speech feeling restricted beneath the vines. Her eyes darted around in horror as she realized that the vines weren't stopping, small tendrils still climbing up over her jaw.

Mirror Ash's resolve seemed to falter for a moment. His gaze wandered down as he listened to Dawn's panicked breathing. He then looked back up at her, meeting with her worried eyes.

"I know… Where I come from, we are friends…"

Dawn continued to stare, watching the thoughts pass through Mirror Ash's eyes.

The dry, light green hue of the vines twisted around her arm were slowly turning darker, more vibrant. She looked closer, watching as an oiliness, a glossy sensation traveled above the surface of the vines. The hydrated, thick stocks were becoming engorged, becoming fatter vines that squeezed down on Dawn's arm. The arm beneath became tense and panicked as Dawn realized that whatever was happening was something she couldn't pull away from.

"But… That's what makes this so hard… After all, I've come so far… I can't give up…"

Dawn's head visibly cringed, her head tipping back and looking away. She felt a warm wetness seeping through the vines, brushing against her skin. It wasn't water—it was something warm, oily, something that was spreading over her captive skin and all beneath where the vines were squeezing. She felt the sensations beneath her skin becoming heightened, every little movement of the shifting vines felt and registered in her mind, every imperfection and groove in the surface of the vines felt on her skin. Slowly, the warm oily secretion grew warmer, and she felt a tingling sensation. She felt it growing suddenly up and down her arm—not like a tickling, but like a thousand ants all crawling up and down her arm. When her arm cringed and try to pull away she felt nothing, only the sensation amplified as it felt like millions of ants, then billions, the worst itching sensation she had ever felt.

" _Oh Arceus_ ," Dawn breathed abruptly. "Ash—Oh Arceus _Arceus—_ Please Ash stop this, please—anything—anything you want—please— _Aaaagggghh aaaagggghhh—_ Anything you want please I'll talk—Oh Arceus this is torture—"

A sudden, primal shriek escaped Dawn. The sensation was escalating. It was turning into a burning sensation, like the worst rash she had ever experienced. The squeezing was becoming unbearably painful, and the sensation on her skin was only growing.

As she looked from her arm up to Mirror Ash, Dawn saw a coldness. She thought for a moment that Ash hadn't heard her, but then something dawned on her.

It didn't matter what she said.

The vine tendrils that had grown up her face were becoming as thick as the snaking vines around her arms. When Dawn went to speak again, she felt several vines crossing her mouth, covering it. All of her begging suddenly became incoherent, animal-like noises, becoming more and more panicked as she realized there was nothing she could say. Though she tried to shout and get her voice through the vines, it became impossible to do anything other than scream. She wailed in agony, unable to move, say or do anything to stop the torture.

"I'm sorry… Dawn… I really am… But I won't believe anything you say until… until twenty minutes are up…"

Though Mirror Ash was staring at Dawn's exposed hand, where her fingers were turning red from violent struggle, his gaze wandered up to look at an exposed piece of skin on her neck, watching where smaller tendrils were prodding at Dawn's neck, priming to poke through. He then stared up at Dawn, swallowing carefully.

"After all…" Mirror Ash said, not hiding the nervousness in his voice. "Where I come from… That's what you said to do..."


	67. Chapter 67

Dawn was on the floor. She was slumped over, face down, her legs folded over and sprawled, her arms thrown about from her like a rag doll's would.

Her previously trapped arm—her right arm—looked perfectly normal.

As she stirred silently, the steady pounding of footsteps came through the floor as several people were running towards her. Her eyes squinted meekly as she looked up at the people approaching her, all she could muster before her eyes fluttered closed once again. There were three of them, the smallest quickly approaching the fastest, one that suddenly stooped down in front of her.

"Dawn…?"

Bonnie was kneeling, her tiny hands gently touching Dawn's shoulders. She looked terrified, her tiny eyes darting all over Dawn's body—though nothing seemed unusual, Dawn was unusually tired. As Dawn moved weakly, the hands that held her shoulders shook with much more animation, shaking her hard and trying to get some kind of response.

" _Dawn!_ " Bonnie shouted, an emotional wail forcing its way through.

"Bonnie, _wait_ —"

Miette quickly crouched down beside Bonnie, putting both of her hands on her little shoulders and easing her a few steps back. When Bonnie protested, fighting Miette and trying to get to Dawn, Bonnie put an arm around her little torso, pulling her body back and holding her back, gritting her teeth when Bonnie fought. She flipped Bonnie around abruptly, holding her close to her in a forced hug. She waited until Bonnie's struggling subsided, holding her close until she heard Bonnie relaxing.

As she backed the both of them away from Dawn, Miette eventually released Bonnie, walking her back from her arms carefully, keeping her hands on both of her shoulders and looking at her with a warm gaze. She looked at Bonnie, meeting with her tear-filled eyes. As she gave an equally warm smile, she watched as Bonnie's worry suddenly grew into confusion, her eyes widening as she looked at Dawn—something specifically on Dawn. When Miette turned to look, following Bonnie's line of sight, she saw it too. She gasped.

Out of the corner of Miette's gaze, Ash arrived, coming to a brief stop with his run. Pikachu came stopping too, standing beside Ash, hopping up onto his hind legs and staring at Dawn as well. The normally tall, alert ears that Pikachu had sagged down, falling dejectedly.

Ash gave a cold breath as he walked tentatively towards Dawn, walking carefully and looking at nothing else but her. He saw what they too had been seeing: the deep, vine-like growth on Dawn's neck.

"Dawn…" Ash breathed quietly.

As he stooped down, bringing himself close to where she laid. His hand gently brushed over her cheek, tipping her head up and bringing what little light there was in the tent onto her neck. A deep network of deep, dark green vines protruded from beneath Dawn's skin, climbing all up beneath her chin and down across her chest. The vines had turned purple around a central point where a small, root-like object protruded from a made orifice in her neck, the skin warping around it. A leaf had grown from the protrusion.

Ash's fingers hovered around the protrusion that stuck out from her neck, staring at it curiously and with a deep look of worry. As his fingers threatened to get close, he was cut off by a sudden and abrupt scream.

" _Aaaaaahhh!_ " Dawn shrieked, her eyes wide and terrified at the sight of Ash.

She suddenly leaped back, her hands scrambling as they quickly pulled her away, her legs kicking in a desperate bid to get away from Ash. Her eyes were wide and terrified, her breath rapid as she threatened to hyperventilate.

Ash looked at her with concern, putting his hands out in a reassuring gesture when he realized that something was even more off—Dawn's widened eyes stared at Ash with an alien intensity. Her bright blue eyes had darkened, looking black, the whites of her eyes an intense red that grew purple at the very edge of her worn eye sockets. She backed herself up towards a crate, huddling close to it. As she panted, huddling in terror, the strange coloring of her eyes slowly faded, turning to a more natural hue of blue and white. Beneath her neck, the network of growth beneath her skin slowly retracted back towards the purpling source, crawling beneath her skin rapidly until it reached the center, where the protruding root disintegrated and her skin closed off. The leaf snapped from the disintegrating root, fluttering down and away.

Ash had gotten up, watching Dawn's terrified expression as he walked closer and closer, his hands out defensively. Getting closer made Dawn more terrified, and he knew it immediately.

"Dawn… Please… It's Ash… What's—" Before Ash could ask what was wrong, Dawn cut him off with a loud, almost gibberish-like shriek.

" _It's not! It's not! I don't believe you!_ " Dawn shrieked, slurring her words and sounding incomprehensible. "It's not you! You can't…! Ash…! No…!"

Ash froze again, looking as though he was trying to understand but it didn't make any sense. He stood up a bit more, his hands lowering carefully as he stared in confusion, unable to make sense of it.

Dawn forced herself to calm, her eyes still wide with terror, her hands shaking intensely—her right hand in particular. As she took a few steadying breaths, she found her words.

"What… What's our sign…? Our… Our greeting…?" Dawn stammered.

"What?" asked Ash, blinking and looking uncomfortable.

"Ash… Do it… Please…"

Swallowing strangely, Ash put out his hand. The palm of his gloved hand faced her, his arm raised high, his eyes never breaking contact. Though he wanted to smile, and he tried for a brief moment, he did everything he could to look reassuring in any other way. He found himself looking bravely, concerned for her but finding a small, solid amount of confidence himself.

"High touch…?" he asked, quietly.

Dawn's eyes were almost permanently affixed to Ash's hand. She watched with a silent twitchiness, her eyes darting between the outstretched hand and Ash's wondering gaze. Her fear melted under the warmth of his confidence, her quivering ceasing. She slowly reached her own arm out—her right arm—her hand reaching up and meeting with Ash's. She pressed her bare palm against the material of his fingerless gloves, her fingers slowly stretching and extending past the tips of his fingers, the lengths of her fingers pressed to his. On both Ash and Dawn's own volition, without any exchange, on silent agreement, their fingers shifted over. Both of their fingers lacing between each others and grasping together.

Ash had been staring at where their hands had met, where their fingers were curling and lacing together, when he finally met eyes with Dawn. It was instant—Dawn using her newfound handhold with Ash to pull him in suddenly, herself almost leaping at him in a desperate bid. Her arms flew around him as she pulled him into a tight hug. Caught off-guard, Ash's arms silently folded around Dawn's back, staring blankly as Dawn held him close and squeezed him tightly, feeling her weep beside him.

"Dawn…"

Ash's head turned as far as it could. From his periphery, he saw Miette and Bonnie waiting together silently, watching the scene. He looked up to Miette, seeing her look of worry as she looked on the scene, her arm lightly around Bonnie's head as she held her reassuringly close.

It was Miette that had spoken up. She relinquished her hold on Bonnie gently, walking silently over to their side before kneeling down beside Dawn. As Ash and Dawn split their hug, she looked over to Dawn with a warm, friendly smile. She glanced over at Ash, her warmth turning to concern.

"Dawn…" Ash spoke up. "What happened…?"

Dawn swallowed silently. "I… I made a mistake… And now we might all pay for it…"

"What happened…?" asked Miette.

"I… I can explain later…" Dawn said, her breath coming to her in waves. "Right now… There are people who are in very real danger…" she said. "We need to get to Cynthia and get… And get whoever got to me before they get to Cynthia… And…"

"Rescue Serena."

Both Miette and Dawn turned to look at the source of the voice—Ash.


	68. Chapter 68

"It's my fault… It's my _fault…_!"

"Why is it your fault?"

The sniffling, whimpering sounds of tears ceased at the end of the room. A shuffling sound beyond where Serena could see could be heard. She listened, refusing to lift her head or look, thinking to herself quietly—strangely, to her, she felt unsympathetic to the tears of the other person in the room.

Serena was hunched over, huddled on the hospital bed. She had sat forward, her knees folded in front of her, her arms wrapped beneath her thighs. She was staring down at her feet—specifically where the thick straps of tape were around her ankles, linking her to the railing of the bed. On the underside of the lengthy section of tape that reached the railing, long sections had been peeled off—not enough to draw attention, but a good amount. She was close to her freedom, but despite that she maintained her best appearance. As she stared and contemplated her next move to free the tape from her leg, she waited for an opportunity, looking preoccupied by her thoughts instead but keeping a mindful eye on her bonds.

"W-What…? What do you mean…? Why is it my fault…?" asked Sean. He had raised his head from his hands, looking up with tearful eyes. All around his eyes, his skin was visibly wet—his tears hadn't been wiped away, just smeared all over his face.

"I'm… I'm curious," said Serena. She seemed less forthcoming than her annoyed, blunt question moments earlier, instead more withdrawn. It dawned on her that she looked uncomfortable in asking her question, prompting her to look up at Sean directly. "Why do you think it's your fault?"

Sean immediately seemed uncomfortable. He sat himself straighter from where he had slouched back in the chair, his feet straightening. His hands, ready to catch and cover his head if he entered another bout of tears, suddenly reached for the edge of the chair he sat in on either side, gripping it closely as he straightened himself. He pouted, looking confused.

"You said you thought it was your fault," said Serena. "Why do you think that?"

"I should… I shouldn'tve trusted him…" said Sean, his voice meek and quiet. He swallowed noisily, looking at the ground, sounding short of breath.

Serena's neck craned, her body leaning forward and pressing to her raised legs as she looked over towards where Sean was. A quick glance told her there was nothing he was looking at on the floor, and instead she looked to the strange expressionless face he was giving, doing her best to read from it what she could.

"You mean Mirror Ash?"

A loud squealing sound ripped through the room. It caught Serena off-guard, her hands raising to cover her ears moments before she realized what it was: it was Sean's sneakers, the soles suddenly squeaking back uncomfortably over the linoleum floor. His chair had been scooted back noisily as well, his whole body shuddering like Serena had tossed a bucket of ice water on him. Sean looked like he had been set on edge, his bottom lip gnashing beneath his teeth as he thought some more. His eyes looked redder and puffier than they had before. It seemed like every part of him had become more irritated, and as Serena watched he looked back nervously, seeming apologetic.

"Yes… Mirror Ash… That was my bad…"

"What did you and… him… how do you know each other?" asked Serena, her words moving with caution, as not to set Sean off again.

Sean looked sick.

"We… We made a deal…" Sean swallowed, noisily. His voice was choked with tears, quivering as he fought to hold himself back. He didn't for much longer. His voice rose, brimming and shaking with anger. "And he broke it…!"

Serena's hand had slid dangerously close to where the tape was holding her leg down. She froze, her body resisting the urge to cringe and wince when Sean shouted, her hand lingering just beneath her leg. . She closed her eyes for a moment, pretending she was invisible, just giving herself a moment to be away from what seemed like an utterly crazy moment. One eye at a time, she opened up and looked across the room, looking to where Sean was sitting—or where he had been.

Sean shakily got to his feet. He stood up, slowly, his legs wobbling and nearly stumbling over his awkwardly planted feet. He was muttering something to himself as he panted with an audible, rage-fueled intensity.

"And… He broke it! He broke it..."

"What did he break…?" asked Serena. She forced herself to be brave, making the question a pointed one. "What went wrong…?"

Sean went to respond. Something interrupted him.

Something lurched in the hall, just outside the walls. The sound like something shifting, something heavy squealing and stuttering across the polished floors of the hospital hall, moved by a powerful force.

Sean froze from where he stood near the door. White knuckles were threatening to pop from his skin as he gripped the bar on the edge of the bed. His labored, unusual and mouthy breathing slowed, as he turned back and looked away from Serena, who he had been staring at so intently. He turned, looking to the door, staring at the mesh-covered glass window and out into the small, obscured sliver of hallway that he could see. He became silent, like any wild Pokemon in the grass, staring even when he couldn't see movement.

Serena was looking too. She hadn't noticed that her own body was shivering at both the sound and Sean's building rage.

"It's him..." said Sean, as he stared at the window with wide, hysterical eyes. "That… _Stupid…_ Mirror Ash…!"

Serena swallowed quietly as she looked on. She hesitated to even raise her voice, but she did after a silent moment of contemplation. "How do you know it's him…?"

"We both thought you were in danger..." said Sean. "He promised me that he'd help me take you back to my world…"

Sean was on his tip-toes, looking out the thin, tall window out into the hospital area. His head was craning around to the side to see if he could get a better angle, his eyes practically pressed up against the filthy glass. His hand were pressed to the metal face of the door, constantly fidgeting and trying to press themselves flat without making himself comfortably. His body was slumped uncomfortably, like his hips were trying to use the door to give himself some kind of leverage to slouch upon.

"I… I think he's there now…! I think this is it…! I—"

Instead of finishing his thought, Sean reached down to the metal door handle, popping it down and yanking the door back. He narrowly moved himself back out of the way of the swinging door edge and gave himself just enough space to head out of the doorway—still managing to catch his foot as the door shut and he popped out into the hallway.

Serena had nearly no idea what had just happened, even though she had watched it all unfold. She looked on with confusion as she sat herself up. Lifting her leg prompted a sharp, uncomfortable jab from the edge of a zip-tie around her ankle—hidden beneath the layers of duct tape—as her leg followed her instinct to sit herself up in bed, making her wince and become distracted, only to refocus on the immediate and pressing event happing just outside the door. Her head snapping up to look knocked her blonde hair into her eyes, shrouding it and forcing her to stop and brush it out of the way, her body hunching forward uncomfortably. She caught a moving, out-of-focus view of Sean as he stood in the middle of the hallway, shouting something muffled by the door in a rage down the hall.

"There you are! You rude, idiotic jerkface!"

Looking down at her ankle, Serena then reached down and ripped the tape from where it was wrapped around her leg. With the plastic zip-tie exposed, Serena got an excited—and rather desperate—look in her eye as she shifted her leg as far as the zip-tie would allow her, giving her enough room to put the width of her sole to press between the cool, perpendicular metal railings on the side. The bones in her foot twisted, folding together just enough with her grabbing toes as she slid the foot through. She felt the rigid plastic frame of the zip-tie curling closer to her bony ankles as the doubled-over into an '8' shape. Gritting her teeth, Serena slipped her foot through the bars, feeling the pressure of the ribbed plastic move up past her ankle bones and where the length of her leg widened out. The bend in the zip-tie, where the whitish, slightly translucent strips of plastic met, were turning white and becoming thinner, stretched out as harder bends formed.

Her hands felt around on the bed, somewhat numbly, as Serena couldn't hardly believe she had managed to get as far as she had. As her hand felt the cold bars of the railing opposite where her foot had slipped through, she quickly grabbed for it and pulled herself around, working more quickly to pull her upper body towards the foot of the bed. She had effectively put herself on her hands and knees, and her attention was on the lone restraint on her ankle.

All of a sudden, there was a massive explosion on the other side of the wall. The thick walls thudded, shaking through their structure. The door rattled in its frame, knocking against the metal frame bracing it, rattling the components inside. The bed Serena was in lurched, feeling like it had jumped up. The curtains beside Serena leaped and wavered, swinging gently on the metal rack it was mounted to.

 _"_ _Aaaaahhh!"_

Serena's arms slipped out from beneath her as her hands scrambled to find the shifting mattress. Her body flopped forward as she yelped, looking to the mattress moments before her head fell between the foot of the bed and the metal rails, landing with an airy impact on the mattress. Her wet clothing pressed up against her skin forcefully, making her weak. She felt a sudden, painful squeezing by her leg as her leg kicked around inadvertently, hearing a thick plastic snapping.

The zip-tie had snapped.

Serena looked back suddenly, brushing her hair from her eyes as she looked at the railing of the bed, where her foot dangled off. A red ring lacing around her ankle was all that remained of the zip-tie, any soreness that had come from the zip-tie snapping instantly fading. Her toes stretched, feeling free as air moved around the ribbed, fleshy imprints of the zip-tie. She had begun to pull her foot through, when she heard footsteps.

The window had become hazy, some of the lights seemingly knocked out. A dark, liquid something had splattered all over the thin window, looking dark and overshadowed without much light. Something smoky was shifting outside the window, the result of some blast that had happened moments earlier.

Serena looked up in terror. A dark figure was approaching, with a lone discernible feature: a baseball cap. She silently pulled herself up, pulling her free ankle out and getting up onto her knees, her hand held to the side of the bed tentatively as she watched.

The door opened. It was Ash. Not Mirror Ash, just Ash.

"Ash!" Serena gasped, her eyes wide and wild. Her posture changed, less defensive and more open. As she got up, she watched as Ash entered quickly, almost rushing to her.

"Serena! It's you!" said Ash. He ran quickly to the edge of the bed, throwing his arms around him and holding her close. He wasn't thinking about her wet clothes as they pressed to his jacket, he wasn't thinking about the strangeness of the moment or the danger of Serena, he was completely enveloped in the warmth of her hug. He held her close, the hands that held her back curling into intense, unrelenting fists as his fingers dug into the material of her dress.

Serena had shut her eyes, looking as though a wave of serenity had washed over her. They only opened once, as she felt something suddenly land on the bed beside her, a small hug clamping to her thigh. When she looked down, she saw someone familiar.

"Pikapi!"


	69. Chapter 69

Serena stood alone in the hall. The lights around her had gone out, shattered into oblivion, the housings of the vertical lights where they had been built into the ceiling had become dislodged and broken.

Her bare feet treaded a thin, half-inch layer of water that covered the floor. Puddles had formed at the edges of the hallway where the water had spread thin. On the reflective, glossy surface, shards of glass from overhead lights and shattered fiber-glass panels littered the floor in clusters, far away from harming Serena. At the end of the water-filled hallway, a lone figure was laying on his back—it was Sean, knocked unconscious from the blast.

Behind Serena, she felt a presence, making her tense up for a moment. She then turned, her head shifting over her shoulder as she looked tentatively, then seeing Greninja sitting down in the center of the hall. The spot where he sat and the surrounding area was nearly devoid of water, instead with the first few puddles and streaks of tossed-about water bursting out from where he sat to form the remnants of the watery blast of Water Shruiken. She gave a meager, sheepish smile, trying to hide the embarrassment of momentarily being terrified of not knowing if it was Greninja was behind her—even if she hadn't shown it.

"I don't think he left anything," said Ash, breaking the silence.

Serena's head whipped around as she sensed the door to the hospital room she had been in opened. Ash was standing in the doorway, taking it all up, looking across at Serena with a stoic, concerned look. His own hand at his side—the one that wasn't holding the door open—was balled in a fist. Nothing about him ever wavered.

"Oh, I see…" said Serena, her voice unusually quiet.

"He did have your bag, and he left it out too. It doesn't look like he really went through it."

Serena looked over, down past Ash. By his side and just behind him, in the chair that Sean had momentarily occupied moments earlier, a pink backpack was sitting in the center. It was still zipped, the fabric surface looking uniform like everything had been stacked inside it neatly, just as Serena had put it together in the first place—not lumpy like the stuff inside had been rummaged through.

"What did he want with you? Did you talk with Sean? What did he say?" asked Ash. The intensity of his gaze only shifted to look at Serena's changing eyes—only as she looked down to the bag.

Serena then looked up as Ash had spoken up. She was silent for a moment, like she had been caught doing something wrong.

"He… He said he wanted to save me… It was all strange…" said Serena, beginning to string her thoughts together in a way that made sense—at least to her, first. She swallowed, her eyes sinking for a moment. "He told me about someone dangerous… Someone who he had helped through a portal in exchange for meeting, well… me…"

"Mirror Ash, right?"

Though Serena had disappeared into her own thoughts for the time being, she then looked up, mildly surprised at Ash's sudden name-drop. Her lips hung open as she stared at him and searched his face, looking for some kind of reason for what was happening.

"You… You know it was him…?"

Ash had reached back, stepping into the darkened hospital room for only a moment to grab Serena's backpack. As Serena watched in confusion, he looked back up to Serena, more determined and confident than he had only a moment ago.

"Yeah… He did something to Dawn, and I saw her just after he had done it."

"What?"

Ash, who had gone to reach up and pass the backpack over to Serena, lingered for a moment. He looked down at the backpack, where the pink hanging strap was spread across his hooked fingers, watching it sway with the straps dangling inches from the water below.

"I'm not sure what he wants..." said Ash, like he was thinking aloud. "But I know that we can't let it happen. Whatever it is, we have to stop him…"

Before Serena could respond—as she opened her mouth to respond—she looked down at the backpack in front of her. Ash had reached out his arm with the backpack in his hand, offering it to her. It had taken Serena a moment to think of what to do—her one hand was clutching her pair of cowgirl boots by the edge of the leathery sleeve, keeping them by her side, and her other hand was holding to the simple blue ribbon that had laced through and beneath the collar of her dress, holding it like a safety blanket. She wasn't about to let go of her boots and let them fall into the thin covering of water on the floor, and she wasn't about to let go of Ash's ribbon.

"Here," said Ash, "let me help you."

Sneakers sloshing through the water, Ash walked alongside Serena, coming to her side—something that got a strange, distracted look from Serena. His arm wrapped around over her shoulders, clutching it tightly.

Ash turned, looking to Serena, looking earnest. "Here, put your arm around my shoulder. You can lean on me if it helps you get your boots on."

Serena looked up to Ash several times, looking back down to her feet in the meantime. She tipped her boots up by her side, looking at them for a moment, staring past the stitching in the leathery material as she thought about Ash's words. She looked up once more to Ash, setting her boots down and standing them upright, the half-inch of water barely rising above the pointed tips and the thick, brown sole. She lifted a leg, putting half her weight on the other leg and the rest on Ash, dangling her dripping foot over the opening of her boot.

"Is Dawn okay? And Bonnie, have you seen her?" asked Serena.

Ash's posture barely shifted, supporting Serena's weight as she put her first boot on. He watched carefully, seeing her look unsteady even with him supporting her from the side.

"They're both with Miette. They're going to get Cynthia," said Ash. "I offered to come get you."

"Oh, I see—"

Serena nearly toppled. She had nearly worked her foot all the way into her boot, her sopping wet bare foot nestled in the fabric insides, feeling strange but manageable enough to get them across the glass-covered floors and out of the building. As she lifted her second leg, getting ready to put on the second boot, she felt her own leg threatening to topple out from beneath her without her foot completely settled in the other boot as she thought it had. Ash had supported her weight, keeping her from tipping completely over.

Though she kept her head down, watching the ground beneath her to make sure it hadn't slipped out from under her unsteady feet, she felt something moving and shifting in front of her. She looked up, seeing Ash move in front of her. She felt a hand on her other shoulder, holding steady, keeping her stabilized from both sides. She looked up, looking timid and surprised, wordless, as she followed Ash's prompting and put her hand on his other shoulder. Immediately across from her was his smiling face, looking reassuring for the moment. In turn, Serena immediately turned her head down to focus on putting the second boot on—after all, a blush in this close a proximity would be enough to tip him off.

"Are we going to go help them…?" asked Serena. "Mirror Ash is still out there… He could really hurt them..."

Ash shook his head. "No, I'm getting you to safety. We're going back into the mainland and back to your hotel. If Mirror Ash wants you he's gonna get a fight."

Serena looked back up. She was deeply surprised. "What?"

Ash looked earnest. "If Mirror Ash wants you I'm not letting him take you. I can't lose you."

"Ash, those are our friends out there. We need to go help them!"

"Serena, I can't lose you."

Serena hadn't been looking away because she was flustered. Her head was even still raised, her eyes looking past him. She had been so focused on thinking about what Ash could possibly have meant by it—even if the reasons were right in front of her. Instead, in that moment, she looked up at Ash out of a pure sense of wonder. It pulled her right out of the conversation as she searched his eyes and found worry.

She had stopped fidgeting. She was staring right at Ash, putting herself in the silence of the moment.

"Ash..." she said, looking up into his eyes, her grip on his shoulders softening. "We need to go help them… I need to go help them, and I can't do it without you..."

After a moment of looking into her eyes, Ash saw she meant it. He smiled, nodding.

* * *

A/N:

69

*winks*


	70. Chapter 70

"Bonnie… Stop… Please…! I need to get to Cynthia…! I… Oooh..."

A small gurney had been set at the entrance of the tent on the ground, where light flooded into the dark interior. The metal arms that would normally lift and keep the gurney at waist height for pushing were collapsed. On the padded rests in the center of the metal frame of the gurney, Dawn had been laid out and set comfortably, though she looked deeply distressed. She watched as, above her, two Nurse Joys traded notes on her current condition, sharing thoughts in hurried whispers as they examined a chart. Just outside the entrance, in the daylight, a small ambulance on a cart was just sized perfectly enough to pass down the narrow dirt roads that ran through the festival.

Bonnie was on her knees beside Dawn. At Nurse Joy's instruction, she kept a warm, wet cloth pressed against her arm, both her hands pressing down on it. Her body was hunched over, putting some of her small weight on it to keep the sensation of warmth on the towel.

Dawn's arm squirmed. She pulled it away sharply, much to Bonnie's surprise and annoyance, as the arm she had been putting pressure on suddenly slipped out from the cloth. She looked up at Dawn as she pulled away sharply. Reaching out to grab Dawn's arm, Bonnie missed narrowly as Dawn yanked it back down. It nearly sent Bonnie stumbling forward. Before she could react or express her annoyance to Dawn, Dedenne then leaped onto the center of Dawn's chest where Dawn had pulled her arm close, pinning it.

"Bonnie… I'm not kidding! Can you just… Hey! Dedenne!"

Just as an incredibly frustrated Dawn was about to fling off Dedenne, Bonnie reached down and scooped up Dedenne into her arms, pulling her back. Dawn's numb, weak arm smacked against the metal railing along the side of her gurney, unable to find it by using her fingers.

"Ms. Berlitz, we need to get going now," said Nurse Joy, standing over Dawn as the other Nurse Joy started up the small ambulance behind her, the engine starting with a dry revving and then becoming a steady rumble.

"No… Wait… Please…!" Dawn argued, weakly.

Bonnie reached beneath Dawn's arms, despite her protests, grabbing for the thin black safety belts built into the gurney, pulling out the straps and pulling them over her torso. She strapped down her good arm, leaving her weak arm free and exposed of the straps, before fastening the two ends of the belt in the center over her torso. She gave the loose end a good tug, tightening it.

"Don't worry Dawn, Nurse Joy said that the side-effects of that whole poisoned arm thing might mess with your head a bit. It's not nearly as bad as you think it is," said Bonnie.

"I'm… I'm serious…!" Dawn protested. Her loose, numb arm reached across her chest, her hand hanging off her arm like a stuffed animal's would if the stitching was loose. "I'm… I'm totally fine…!"

"Well, if that's the case, I gave you the chance to unbuckle your seatbelt," said Bonnie, putting on a light, teasing smile.

Dawn gave Bonnie a surprised, somewhat desperate look as she reached over for the buckle that held the two lengths of her seatbelt together. Her hand hesitated over the buckle as she looked briefly to Bonnie, momentarily considering if it really was too good to be true. When her hand turned to mash her thumb into the red button it missed, slipping over the metal edges of it. She tried again, trying to use fingers she couldn't feel to grasp the buckle, her fingers curling and stretching inordinately as she tried to grasp the buckle. Even once she had center her thumb over the button, pushing down was a futile effort, her hand unable to push and direct the force of her finger. Her hand flopped off the end of her arm as she tried to use the force of her arm, looking for all the world as if she was trying to hit the buckle with the bony edge of her wrist.

Bonnie couldn't help but laugh. With the arm she wasn't presently holding Dedenne with, she stifled her laugh by covering her mouth, turning away, feeling her own knees weaken. Tears spurted at the edges of her eyes as they were forced shut by the tremendous sense of laughing.

Both of the Nurse Joys stooped down at the ends of the gurney, grasping the metal handles and standing themselves up, making the legs extend beneath Dawn and ease her up. Once the legs had locked and held up Dawn on their own, the hinged wheels turning around at the simple force of Nurse Joy's arms, the one at Dawn's feet led the way out of the tent while the other at her head pushed.

Standing by the edge of the tent's entrance, standing on the darker side of the interior, Miette watched as Dawn's sputtering protests became more and more incoherent. She looked to her side, hearing Bonnie's faint, childish laughs as she followed at a distance, coming to her own side.

"Don't worry, Dawn, we'll take care of it. Ash will have Serena and the police will get to whoever did this to you before they get to Cynthia."

Dawn, as the Joys placed themselves at the ends of the gurney, got her reactions under control for one brief, delirious moment. Her arm flopped to the side, resting by her side in the padded interior of the gurney. She swallowed, looking up and over to where Miette was, her eyes taking a moment to adjust. She looked as though she was going to pass out any second, her head rocking lazily against the padded headrest as the Joys got a grip on the edges of the gurney, looking as though it was going to fall off.

"You better..." Dawn said, her voice croaking.

Miette smiled. "Oh, believe me, I'll make sure of it. For his sake."

Both Miette and Bonnie watched as Dawn was loaded into the back of the ambulance, and as one of the Joys stepped out to shut and latch the door on the back of the vehicle. A bright red cross with a Pokeball graphic in the center took up the back, the only thing facing out from where Dawn had been moments earlier.

Bonnie's giggling returned, and as soon as it did she yelped, feeling a sharp pinch on her ear. Miette had grabbed it, effectively silencing her.

"Hey! What was—"

"Bonnie, listen to me very closely," said Miette. She kneeled down in front of her, taking one of Bonnie's tiny hands into hers and facing her, making sure she had her complete and undivided attention. "I need you to go with Dawn. You need to watch over her and make sure nothing happens, alright?"

"Wait, what? Why me? Isn't Dawn totally okay if she's with the Nurse Joys?"

"It's not for Dawn's safety, it's for yours," said Miette. "Some crazy stuff is about to happen, and I want to be sure you're safe, alright?"

Bonnie shook her head. She looked annoyed, indignant. She brushed off where Miette was holding her hand. "That's not what Ash or Serena would say. Not even Clemont would say that, and he's crazy worried about me. I need to go with you, okay?"

Miette stared at Bonnie for several long seconds, unsure of how to react or respond to that. When Bonnie went to walk away, she grabbed for Bonnie, taking her by the arm, pulling her close suddenly. When Bonnie gave an annoyed shout, she held her close and looked at her intently, staring deeply.

"No, Bonnie… I… Listen, this isn't up for debate. You need to go with them."

"But—"

"But nothing. I'm sorry Bonnie, I can't let you get hurt."

Looking very hurt, Bonnie looked away, turning her head and her whole body away. Folding her arms, clutching a confused Dedenne close. For a moment, Miette wondered if she would have to speak up or say something, but Bonnie then obeyed and walked around Miette, following where the Nurse Joys had loaded up the ambulance. She walked until she entered the light of the outside world, then picked up into a distraught sprint and ran after the ambulance that had begun to drive away.

Miette pulled herself up off the ground, her movements coordinated as she stood up. Her arms lingered at her side, unsure of what to do while she watched Bonnie run around to the driver's side—the pink shoes she wore all that were visible beneath the raised end of the ambulance. For a moment, Miette looked like she had regret her own decision, her eyes looking on doubtful at the shadow that the ambulance left as it passed.

Then Miette looked up. She looked determined. More than anything, she knew what she had to do.

"Oh Arceus, I'm not a runner," said Miette, her voice disappointed as she backtracked into the dark of the tent, turning as she walked and made her away across the dirt floor of the tent interior. After a few, powered steps she took, she quickly broke into a jog, sending herself on nimble legs across the tent and to the opposite end.


	71. Chapter 71

"They said the mirror was here..."

Close to the ground, Miette's dainty fingers curled around a rusty iron stake that had been driven into the earth, driven through a small eyelet at the end of a tent flap. Though her other, free hand felt for the tent flaps beside it in an awkward attempt for stability, she could barely push herself off the ground with the outstretched arm before bringing herself close to toppling over. Her body was hunched over, doubled over, her legs only slightly bent as not to give her skirt an opportunity to expose anything. As she felt the difficulty of the task get worse, trying to yank up the stake from the ground, she used the hand she had tried so carefully to not use and get dirty to grip the stake. She bent her legs further, bringing her closer to the earth once again, then yanked up.

The dry, sliding sound of iron scraping on rock and packed earth came suddenly, Miette nearly rocketing herself up and sending herself back. She caught herself back on the ground, back on two feet, clutching the stake in both hands as dirt crumbled from the edges inside. Taking a deep breath, she tossed the stake aside. She gave a passing glance to her filthy palms, only momentarily considering them before brushing off something she refused to worry about.

"Well, of course they _said_ ," Miette breathed, seeming somewhat out of breath from the moment of exercise. "Problem is, how are you supposed to find where something _is_ when it's not supposed to be there?"

Her hand brushed aside the tent flap, giving her a glimpse of what was inside the dark, smaller tent. She held it open and kept it open, her eyes squinting in the dark, the light from behind her overwhelming what little she could see inside. Even though she knew there wasn't enough of the tent she could see without entering—the blank expression telling as she stared inside—there was no way she could conclude from the outside; she had to enter. Taking her first steps, she moved her body through the narrow opening of the flap. Letting go of it immersed her in total darkness—almost.

Several steps later, she had entered a small area of light. Sections of the tent overhead were vented, letting meager amounts of daylight in. Miette could see she had walked into an opening between large swathes of benches that had been set up—stadium style. It had only been half complete, with a few rows setup on either side of her before leading into large clearings, looking like large and heightened wooden stair steps. She followed the sloping dirt path, continuing to bring her to the clearing in the very center.

A large white storage container took up a large space opposite where she had walked in. The rest of the tent had been draped over it, openings around it providing light in. Between the open, hanging metal doors of the container, a dark abyss awaited. What looked like large sections of translucent plastic wrap and wood frames that had been broken and shredded apart were scattered all down the length of metal flooring, leading out of the storage container, hanging out the edge of it.

Miette squinted, looking into the container. Near the end of it, she could see the glimmer of a tall surface—a mirror.

Though Miette had been tempted to walk into the storage container, tempted to go close and see what exactly was inside, she stopped herself. The crunching sound of footsteps on dirt caught her attention. Her eyes darted to the side, her composure staying still. She looked to the side the container, where she had heard the footsteps, immediately seeing that someone was entering from the light beneath a dark flap. It was Ash—or someone who looked like Ash, pale and nervous—Mirror Ash.

Immediately, without any sort of hesitation, Miette immediately reached behind her back. She pulled out a Pokeball, placing it tentatively in her hand. She stared as Mirror Ash walked forward, then stopped just at the outset of the storage container. A moment of silence passed as they stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

"You're not supposed to be Ash, I know that much," said Miette. "I don't know a lot of what's going on, but I know well enough that all this weird stuff ends here. So, are you going to come quietly? Or what?"

Mirror Ash said nothing. He simply stared.

When Miette's resolved intensified, an annoyed snort leaving her nostrils as she steadied her current standing position, she then realized that Mirror Ash had looked up. Silently, carefully, she turned her head up behind her, looking to where he had looked.

High above where Miette stood on the ground, she looked to where she saw a shadow passing. Through the hazy columns of light, slices of visibility where the dust swirled through, she saw the figure of some unearthly, strange-looking Pokemon the likes of which Miette had never seen. It was a Carnivine, drifting through the air, the sickly vines that had twisted together to make his limbs flowing silently through the air as he wandered through the air. A pair of beady, tiny white eyes looked down at her, his wide flytrap mouth hanging crookedly open with twisted, spiked interlocking teeth wavering in the air.

Miette grit her teeth. She clicked the release on her Pokeball, then tossed it across the dirt-covered floor of the auditorium, sending her Pokeball spinning through the air and towards a spot on the ground. The Pokeball bounced up, rocketing up to a point in mid-air where it lingered and fired down a bright flash of blue light. Slurpuff suddenly materialized on the ground, making a squishy impact on the ground.

In turn, Carnivine let out a braying, shrill cry, echoing through the eaves of the tent. He descended, lowering himself to the ground and touching down just a few feet away from the ground Slurpuff was standing on. The light, curling tips of the vines that constructed his tangled legs, touched down and stood himself up.

Taking a deep breath, Miette steadied herself on sturdy ground, looking across at Carnivine. "Alright Slurpuff, use—"

Miette was cut off. She felt someone grabbing her arms yanking her back a few steps, sending her tumbling around and throwing her towards the entrance of the storage container. She flopped back, stumbling over her own footsteps as she landed back down on the ground in front of the container, the metal floors rattling as he leg landed on it.

Wincing, Miette looked up, watching as a thick column of tentacle-like vines shot out from Carnivine and grabbed Slurpuff, latching onto her squishy body and pulling her close. She then looked up as Mirror Ash appeared in the entrance of the storage container, kicking one of the metal doors closed and sending it hurtling towards Miette. Miette then rolled to the side and narrowly avoided the door as it slammed into its frame, coming completely shut. She then pulled herself up off the ground, just onto her hands and knees when she saw that Mirror Ash was coming for her. Before she could resist, Mirror Ash's hand grabbed sharply for the collar of her blouse, grabbing her by the neck and lifting her sharply up off the ground. Grasping for her neck, fighting him, kicking when her feet failed to find purchase with the ground, Mirror Ash suddenly flung her onto her back, where she landed on the metal floors, hard.

Miette looked up as she saw Mirror Ash heading for the second door, getting ready to shut it as she lay on her back inside the container. He wasn't sprinting—only stepping over to the door to grab for it. Seeing an opportunity, Miette then kicked her leg up, sharply, flinging the thick, clog-style shoe from her foot and sending it tumbling through the air. The thick, wooden sole smacked into Mirror Ash's face, making a direct hit and sending him stumbling back a few steps where he toppled in moments.

On the down swing of her leg, Miette's body hurled upright from where she had fallen to the ground, pulling her up sharply. Her arms reached out for the earthy ground, grasping for it and pulling herself around. Her legs tucked beneath her, giving her the chance to push off the ground—albeit in a bit of a wobbly shape, hobbling between the elevated, thick body of her clogs and her grasping, stocking-covered foot. As she struggled to get out of the container, barely able to walk on two legs, she grasped for the edge of the shut storage container door and leaned herself against it, catching her breath as she looked down—seeing that Mirror Ash hadn't recovered just yet, still clutching for his head where a serious welt had formed.

Miette then looked up, she looked across where both Slurpuff and Carnivine had engaged in battle.

Slurpuff's body collided with the ground, making for a thick, shuddering impact in the earth. Clods of dirt kicked up from the impact crater, flung through the air, dust swirling around Slurpuff as her arms flailed and inadvertently stirred the cloud. A thick, mangled arm of vines pushed Slurpuff into the ground, leading up to where it had extended from Carnivine and he was currently pushing her deeper into the crater. Her squishy body was threatening to burst out of his claw-like, root-shaped fingers as he squeezed tighter, pushing further and further, all while giving taunting and cringing growls from his disgusting flytrap mouth.

Slurpuff didn't look like she could hold on for much longer. She was groaning, her eyes shut and her tiny mouth twisted in as she held back her groans. Her whole body shook with her final struggles, the energy she had quickly depleting.

From a distance, Miette looked on desperately, clutching the metal door. Her body was still sore, but she could easily run—despite the one clog still strapped to her foot. Though she had reached out from the door, ready to sprint in and intervene, she remembered what Dawn had described not that long ago, making her face falter and watch in terror.

Then, in the midst of the struggling, Slurpuff opened an eye and looked up at Carnivine. She looked determined. Miette realized what was happening.

"Psychic..." Miette breathed. "Use Psychic..."

Both of Slurpuff's eyes opened. A reflective, bluish sheen had formed, suddenly glowing intensely, radiating energy out of them. Though her body still fought the crushing force of Carnivine's hand, she relaxed enough of her body to focus up at Carnivine. When she realized she had Carnivine's full attention—Carnivine's taunting, proud growls ceasing as his beady, milky eyes stared down at Slurpuff—the intensity magnified. A large gust of withering wind erupted, waves of bright energy coming forth and rippling through the air. The rippling energy made the tangled branches that constructed Carnivine's body rock and brush against one another, creaking. Vines that made for thick arms swayed and shivered in the wind. Leaves and tips flipped about, knocked around in the powerful wind.

In one last, stifling attempt, roots grew like tendrils from the ends of Carnivine's fingers and attempted to shield Slurpuff's face. They all snapped abruptly from another powerful wave of energy, blown about across his face. A bright, all-powerful wave of psychedelic blue and pink energy burst from Slurpuff's eyes, blasting directly into Carnivine's body.

Carnivine's arm of vines snapped, torn abruptly from his body as he flew through the air. He hurtled, flying into the dark eaves of the structure before slamming into a tall column beyond where anyone could see. The impact was audible, making for a loud snapping sound as his dark, limp form then fell from the heights of the tent, landing down on the ground, smashing through the benches that had been set in the raised area. A deafening moment of silence followed it.

All of the tangled vines and branches that had worked together as powerful, crushing muscles instantly fell apart, collapsing over one another and falling into what could've easily been mistaken for an unkempt pile of yard debris. All of the energy that had erupted from Slurpuff faded, leaving the interior and atmosphere of the tent dark and empty as it had been moments earlier. Beneath the wreckage that had been left behind, Slurpuff's thick body was still visible; the muffin-top head that she had looking disheveled and dirty, the reddish cherry atop it looking like it was past its due date. She had stopped moving, exhausted and settled beneath the old branches and loose, already rotting vines.

Miette immediately launched herself off the door, running at an awkward pace across the floor. She had nearly stumbled once, opting to kick her clog to the side and keep running.

As soon as she had reached Slurpuff's side, Miette stooped down kneeling, looking her over. Brushing up the puffy, soft and frosting-like 'topping' on her head to see her eyes, they were shut and unconscious. Her thick, normally slobbering tongue had flopped out of a half-closed mouth. She looked peaceful. Miette didn't need to check for a pulse to know that she had only fainted.

"Oh Arceus… I did treat you so poorly, didn't I…?" Miette whispered, as if maybe Slurpuff were listening.

Something roused Miette's attention. She immediately looked up, hearing the sound of metal whining in the exact way she had heard moments earlier—at the door of the storage container.

Mirror Ash had stood up. He looked dizzy, beaten up and weak. He looked back at Miette briefly as he leaned against the metal door of the storage container, catching his breath. The welt on his forehead was already swelling, turning red and bruised beneath the surface.

As Miette then stood up, standing over her fallen Slurpuff, she looked across at Mirror Ash as he then hobbled off, practically throwing himself into the darkness outside the visible light of the half-draped tent covering. He then ran, running full speed to a part of the tent. Light briefly flashed out as he opened up where flaps of the tent had been closed moments earlier, running out of the tent and back into the fair.

Miette said nothing. She reached behind her, pulling out an empty Pokeball. She looked once down at Slurpuff, pointing the Pokeball down before looking up at where Mirror Ash had left the tent. She pressed in on the release of the Pokeball, firing its red capture laser and summoning Slurpuff back her Pokeball.

"I… _hate_ running..." Miette said, pushing her words through gritted teeth, a bit more of a vengeance to them.

She picked up, hurrying around the crater where Slurpuff had been moments earlier. On muddied, formerly white stockings, she ran with abandon, pushing herself out across the wide space of the tent towards where Mirror Ash had gone.


	72. Chapter 72

On the polished, stone floors that split the large showroom halls, the clapping sounds of sneakers running across it were loud and jarring as they ran down the length of the hall.

Several feet behind, dashing between people in the crowded halls, a pair of stockinged, mud-tinged feet smacked against the floor as they ran, keeping quick pace as they chased the sneakers.

The hall where all of the varying showrooms met was packed. Hundreds of people were wandering between—natives of the island, tourists, families, traveling groups—all wandered obliviously down the lengths with no real sense of the dire chase that was taking place. Annoyed, frustrated grumbles appeared amongst the closely-knit groups of people as two, youngish bodies weaved their way through the crowds. Sound from the various attractions that surrounded the halls, cheers and loud conversations too, all drowned out the sounds of the chase from reaching the rest of the showroom, isolating the moment.

"What the heck?" a guest shouted, knocked to the side as someone ran past him with no sense of what was going on. As he turned, looking back from where he came from, he saw another person weaving through the crowd, running up and running to catch up. Angry, he turned on that person, ready to stop him or her at the first moment they popped through the crowd.

" _Hey_! Out of the way!" Miette shouted, knocking away the guest who resisted, ducking low and keeping the running pace she had. A bobbing, red hat was just several dozen feet away, and with her pace it was getting closer.

Miette felt like her legs were on fire. Beneath the thick, comfortably warm material of her stockings just beneath her knees, her legs were cramping from prolonged exercise that she was nowhere near as used to. Her feet felt as brutalized from prolonged pounding on the hard surface of the floor, the mud that was seeping through feeling abrasive on her feet. Her hair was a wreck, barely holding together from the hairband that held it back, brushed about and blown into her eyes.

Mirror Ash was getting away. The more people he pissed off, the more opportunities there were for him to convince someone to at least stop Miette.

Out of the corner of her eye, Miette had seen some police officers at the edges of the hallways talking amongst themselves, getting suspicious about the activities in the hall. The looks that she got when she looked over to them were charged, directed back at her with a certain, stopping authority. Miette wasn't worried about it—normally she wouldn't. Instead, it was giving her ideas, ones that she took to looking for when she saw the end of the hall rapidly approaching.

The wall at the end was tall, capping the end of the length of the large warehouse that the showrooms had been built into. The doors at the bottom were wide open, allowing the masses of people to wander in and out freely of the showrooms. The crowds of people that were passing through normally were getting herded away from the openings by guards, as they released the locks on the doors and let them swing back into the closed position, locking and then standing in front of them.

Miette looked intrigued as she hurried through the crowd, realizing that the chase may come to an end very quickly. That soon changed as she suddenly tripped, her leg getting caught over something small and sending her down to the ground in seconds.

Flipping, Miette couldn't have possibly given herself a chance to land safely when she collided on her side, bearing the majority of the force on her hip bones as she landed hard, skidding over the smooth floors. The only thing that stopped her was the base of the stairs that led up towards the exit area, half of her body flopping over it and knocking her tailbone against it. The corner of the stair rammed up against Miette's head, hurting it hard. She winced, groaning loudly as she tried to recover.

"Gggguuuuhhh!"

As she recovered from the impact to her head, Miette looked up and over at where she had tripped. A Goomy had been slithering across the floor, the beady eyes on its gunk-covered face looked over at Miette, opening its large maw to express its annoyance.

"Yeah, watch where you're going!"

Miette looked up at the owner—still dizzy from her impact. She looked away, annoyed, looking back up the stairs.

There he was. He had stopped, standing among a crowd of people, craning his head and trying to look around to see where the doors had been barricaded. The red cap that Miette had effectively burned into her retinas was on his head, stuffed down over his shaggy black hair. As if she needed more confirmation, a bright yellow Pikachu scampered up his side, hopping over his backpack and planting himself on Ash's shoulder, just above the backpack.

Groaning through the pain, Miette grabbed for the metal post of the railing, reorienting herself and pulling herself into a Frogadier-style crouch. Her muddied stockings threatened to slip out from underneath her as she pushed herself off the ground, hopping into a light jog up the stairs. The length of stairs served as a runway, letting her gain speed as she ran up the stairs and reached the top landing. She was more aggressive in her shoving as she dove into the crowd of people, running through them and running towards the tall red hat she had seen.

In the commotion, Pikachu turned on Ash's shoulder, looking back as the blue top of Miette's bobbing, fast approaching head brushed through the tall heads of the crowd. The red flag that should have appeared at the forefront of Miette's mind when Pikachu didn't react or move to attack never came, as Miette hurtled through the crowd at a full sprint. She shouted, leaping forward with her arms out, a rageful face appearing that would've terrified any onlooker—including Ash as he suddenly looked back.

" _Gyyaaaaa!_ " Miette howled, her fingers reaching like claws as the front of her body plowed into Ash's, sending Ash flopping over like an inert sack of potatoes.

"Aaaahhh!" Ash shouted, suddenly toppling to the ground and flopping to the side. He landed on his side with his arms beneath him, his legs kicking up from the force behind him as he skidded across the smooth floors, legs and feet of visitors immediately clearing in front of him as he slid forward. Miette rode on top of him, the length of her body on top of him, clutching him, her weight driving him into the ground and causing intense rug-burn.

As Ash immediately struggled, trying to work Miette off of him, Miette used her weight to knock him over onto his back. Her arms swatted away his as he tried reaching for her, her hands then forcibly grabbing Ash's shoulders and pinning him to the ground. Her legs split behind her, her hips straddling his own squirming hips and pinning him to the ground. More of Ash's struggling turned to his arms flailing blindly as Miette used a hand to cover his face and effectively temporarily blind him, Ash's gloved hand inadvertently swatting Miette's face. She immediately responded by swatting away his arms, smacking them down hard as she winced and her face twisted up.

"Hey! Gettoffome— _hey!_ " Ash grunted his body squirming underneath Miette's while she rode him like a bucking Tauros.

"You think you can just get away from me after you friggin'—ack!—after you friggin'— _hey!—_ you friggin' moron! Stop swatting me! You know I can easily— _aaggghh!_ —you fascist piece of—"

Out of the corner of her eye, Miette saw something racing towards her. A yellow blur suddenly appeared above her vision, flying full-speed at her when she suddenly and abruptly got a faceful of Pikachu. Her shriek was immediately muffled by a furry face-hug from Ash's Pikachu, all four of his short limbs latching onto the sides of her head and gripping hard. Pikachu mewled aggressively, his tail tall and spunky behind him as it whipped around like a flag, Miette's head turning about as Pikachu refused to let go. Miette's hands relinquished suddenly on where she had grabbed Ash's wrists as Pikachu continued to ride her face, her hands swatting blindly at Pikachu's furry backside. In turn, she felt Ash suddenly lurch up, his hips twisting beneath hers as he sat himself up, attempting to slide out from under her.

Miette's thighs then locked around Ash's torso—powerfully—eliciting a pained groan from Ash and an involuntary throbbing response from his stomach. Instead of grabbing for Pikachu, Miette reached in front of her for Ash. His chest had gotten closer to hers, and it gave Miette the opportunity to grab a fistful of the collar of his shirt. Her head swung back, Pikachu still attached, and then swung forward directly into Ash's face. Pikachu let go just in time, flinging across the short space between Ash and Miette's faces, slamming into Ash's before bouncing off behind him.

Ash's body flopped back. Miette hadn't relinquished her grip on his shirt and still held on. Instead, where her legs had wrapped behind him she planted her feet down on the ground, her hips still pressed tightly to his stomach. Grunting, Miette's arms flexed and pulled Ash back sharply, threatening to headbutt him skull-to-skull now. She then let go and reached for his head, grabbing it and stopping it just short of slamming into her head, their noses nearly pressing.

Miette then stopped, looking into Ash's eyes. She had the wrong Ash—the head of the real Ash was between her hands.

She stopped, breathing tensely. Her hands grazed across his cheek, rubbing gently as she stared silently. As she looked down, looking at the compromising position that the two of them had become entangled in—Miette's thighs clenching around Ash's stomach, her hips pressed to his stomach, her bottom resting on top of his hips with only a thin layer of skirt and pants between them. The hands that gripped his face became caressing. Her stockinged toes curled on where they touched the floor. Looking back up at the short space between their faces, she felt her lips quiver and twitch, becoming—

Someone grabbed Miette's arms, yanking her back sharply. The surprise move made Miette's softened hold on Ash immediately relinquish, pulling her away.

The force was strong and powerful, yanking Miette up. Her legs flung up in the air, her arms flinging to her sides to try and stop herself. The moment in-air gave her a chance to land herself on her feet as she came up sharply. Taking a breath, she looked up to who had grabbed her.

It was Serena. She wasn't happy.

Serena's hand then swung forward, lashing out across Miette's face and backhanding her. The force knocked Miette on her butt easily, immediately flinging her to the ground in front of where Serena stood.


	73. Chapter 73

"Ohhh… _Arceus_..." said Miette. Her head rose up on a stiff neck, up from where it had bopped against the toughened floors. She looked somewhat ill, like her head was spinning, like she could've barfed right then and there.

As Miette uncomfortably pulled herself up off of the ground, something waved in front of her face. It was a hand, and as soon as she realized it was Serena's hand she lurched back and launched back along the ground from where she was sitting. Her eyes darted about uncomfortably as she momentarily looked up and saw that—despite Serena's tough expression—Serena was really trying to help her up off the ground. Miette looked shameful, embarrassed at her sudden panic, trying to save face however she could as she took Serena's hand and was promptly pulled up off of the floor.

As Miette stumbled forward, she put on a practiced grin—one of her usual, prying grins, but with a hint of exhaustion from being knocked on the head. Her feet scooted and scuttled along the smooth floor beneath her, legs bowed out funny as she stood herself up and looked up at Serena.

"Serena, this is going to sound ridiculous, and I can absolutely explain, but first I do want to point out that I'm not entirely sure you would've hit anyone as hard as you would have hit me for 'riding' atop _any_ other—"

Serena's arm flew. Her hand smacked the side of Miette's head again in a punishing blow. Instead of letting Miette fall away, Serena grabbed for the front of Miette's shirt with her free hand, refusing to let her fall away as she held on. Her arm yanked back sharply as she pulled Miette back, a button popping and flying away from her powder blue blouse, the orange tie on it coming undone and flopping forward. Loose strands of Miette's hair fell out of her hairband and fell into her eyes. Her legs wobbled uncomfortably beneath her, her feet slipping out from underneath her and forcing her body to flop forward—Serena, in turn, grabbing an open sleeve of Miette's vest and holding onto it as Miette sank in it.

Blinded by her own hair, Miette reached around for some kind of stability, grasping numbly for Serena's arm as she gripped and then pulled herself up on it. Her pursed lips sputtered, trying to muster up a gust of breath to push it away. As her hand found Serena's arm, hoisting herself up and pulling herself up sharply, Miette's legs straightened out and pulled her out of the uncomfortable position of hanging by her shirt and vest.

She finally managed to brush her hair out of her eyes, and then Miette realized she what exactly she was looking at.

Serena was deeply, deeply upset. Her eyes were pointed in anger, any of the sympathy her gaze normally carried having completely vanished. Her lips were twisted up and forced together like they were keeping some unholy rage back. Her face was stony, her complexion completely unchanged as she stared directly into Miette's soul.

It was at that moment that Miette realized that this had nothing to do with her being on top of Ash.

Miette swallowed. She looked terse for a moment. "Serena..." she said, the word caught in a choke. "Serena—"

"What on earth were you thinking?" quipped Serena, her words blisteringly fast.

"I—" Miette barely squeaked out. For once in her life, she seemed totally and absolutely terrified, her eyes wide as she looked up at Serena as she realized something was deeply, deeply wrong.

"Hey! I asked, what on earth were you _thinking_?" Serena shouted, a flash of violence appearing in her eyes. Her grip on Miette's shirt became tense, pulling her close. She bared her teeth—the white pearly and perfectly straight set looking far more threatening than Miette's wide eyes could ever have possibly imagined beneath the snarling lip. Before Miette could even think of responding she flinched, spittle flying across her face as Serena's lips moved into a fast-moving tirade. "Are you even paying attention? Are you even aware of what's even _happening_ right now? Or is this one big, silly joke to you? One big ol' _laugh_ for you to enjoy?"

Miette's face looked like it was boiling beneath the surface, a flush of perfect pink heat rising to the surface suddenly and abruptly to fill in the pale complexion of her face.

"You could've… You could've really hurt Ash!"

Miette's expression faltered as she continued to stare into Serena's eyes. The look of terror on her face was dissipating. Her lips had stopped up, looking gummed up and annoyed. She stared at Serena in disbelief, her eyes narrowing.

"Serena… Get a hold of yourself now…" said Miette, quietly, looking up into Serena's eyes. She chewed on her lip for a quiet moment as her stare silently challenged Serena, looking defiant.

When Serena didn't falter at all, instead looking as though she was waiting for Miette to fill in and finish out her thought, Miette took the opportunity to rise—physically. Her body had slouched in a submissive, hiding pose when Serena had lashed out, and she took the opportunity to stand herself up a little straighter—bringing herself to eye-level with Serena, despite the fact that Miette was about two inches shorter. Miette's hands that had curled into fists by her side unfurled, reaching up to grab for Serena's wrists and pry them away from where they held onto the front of her vest and the inner folds of her blouse.

"Serena, relax, I'm on your—"

A flash of anger flew across Serena's face, veins popping through her normally serene expression. Serena's arm rose sharply to lash out physically at Miette again, but this time Miette was ready. Her eyes were intent on Serena's and never flinched, even as Miette reached out suddenly to grab Serena's hand and stop it instantly.

"Serena..." Miette began again, "I'm on your side."

The wound, high-strung intensity that Serena had held in her eyes instantly evaporated. In a blink, her eyes had gone from standing at the edge to back into their serene, thoughtful position. Her lips pursed together quietly, no longer snarling as they had moments earlier.

Seeing that Serena had relaxed, an tensed breath left Miette as she relinquished her iron grip on Serena's arm, still holding on until she had eased it down to the ground. Even then, as she had let go of Serena's wrist, she was still holding onto Serena's hand.

Serena, who had turned her gaze down, looked up with a conceding look.

"Oh Miette… I'm sorry..." she said quietly. "You're a good friend..."

Miette took a breath. She then smiled, even if she had hesitated for a moment before speaking to Serena. "I'll take that as the compliment I think you meant it to be," she said, "as embarrassing and cringeworthy as it is..."

On the ground, something brushed against the smooth floors and squeaked audibly, cutting through the sounds of the surrounding crowds in the hall that were still present. Both Serena and Miette looked down to see that Ash had attempted to pull himself up off the ground, seemingly the most hurt by Miette's final strike against him—and the most dazed.

Though Serena was staring, looking on in the surprise of what Miette had said to her moments earlier, her eyes turned over as she looked to see Miette walking away from where she had been looking at her closely. As Miette crossed the short distance between where Serena stood and Ash was on the ground—having pulled himself up onto his hands and knees to get off the ground—Serena watched in surprised, a small silent gasp escaping her. She looked on and did nothing as Miette hunched down to the ground beside Ash, taking his hand and helping him up despite the slight limp in her walk. Serena was perceivably rooted to the floor, even as she felt Pikachu appearing between her legs—having quickly scampered over when Miette pulled herself to the ground and now by Serena to watch as Ash got up.

Though Serena was impressed with Miette's showing of strength, it wasn't what she was gawking at or half-entranced by. It was Miette's weakness—the way her legs wobbled and fought to stay strong beneath the muddied, torn-up material of her stockings, the way her hands twitched about as her grip intensified on Ash's arms, the way her face tensed up and got redder. She watched as Miette grunted and pulled herself up, taking Ash up with her. Miette was tired, she could see it.

Then, an alarm shrieked.

A wailing, electronic alarm rang out at the end wall of the building. Around the corner of a shop, where several guards had barricaded the array of doors out of the building, one of the emergency exit doors had been flung open, letting light in from the outside world. Down by the door, a guard was laying on his side, clutching his own injured leg as he tried to pull himself up off the ground.

The various crowds that were traveling through the large halls had slowed, talking worryingly amongst themselves about what it could possibly mean. The clearing around Ash, Serena and Miette remained, giving themselves a moment to share a look amongst themselves.

"Serena, Ash, this is all you..." said Miette, taking another weak breath. She nudged Ash forward, then doubled over and placed her hands on her knees. "I'll catch up with you all in a moment..."

Ash looked on at Miette as he stood, then looked over to Serena. He put on a confident look, nodding.

"Alright Serena, you heard Miette, let's go!" said Ash, taking a few steps back away from their convening point, getting ready to head back into the crowds, ready to pick up chase after where Mirror Ash had burst through the doors at the end of the hall.

Before Serena could head on, she looked down to see Pikachu burst out from where he was standing between her boots, making her hesitate as he ran up to Ash. In moments, Pikachu had raced around Ash's planted leg and hopped up his backside, appearing moments later on Ash's shoulder as he stood tall and held fast to the collar of his jacket. Pikachu gave a similar, determined look at Serena, a threatening crackle of electricity erupting from the red spots on his cheeks as his head craned around Ash's.

Ash had turned, hopping back on run-ready legs as he headed back towards the crowds. The realization that Ash was ready to leave came a second too late, and he had headed into the crowds ahead of Serena. Serena then hurried off behind him, but just seconds before Miette grabbed a hold of Serena's arm. Giving a surprised yelp, Serena turned back to look at Miette.

"Hey, Serena," said Miette, looking dead-on at Serena as she held to her arm, "I've got you one-hundred percent, alright? Do you understand?"

Swallowing, Serena nodded. "Yeah… And thank you…!"

Though Serena had motioned to run after Ash, she was held back for a moment. She looked back to Miette, seeing that she was still holding onto her arm.

"Serena—we're all on the same side, I mean that," said Miette. "We tease each other all the time—Arceus knows I've given you enough trouble for _that_ ," she said, gesturing over Serena's shoulder at Ash with a little nod. "But, at the end of the day, we're all your friends, and we're all rooting for you… We're your closest friends out here, and you can't go turning on us. You can't tear this apart, I won't let you."

Miette seemed to be struggling to say something. This gave Serena some pause. Somehow it made her smile.

"And…" Miette swallowed. "I consider you to be a very good friend… too."

Serena wasn't going to let that down. She wasn't prepared to let Miette stay on that thought without saying something snarky of her own—even if Serena knew she herself was very bad at being snarky and had nothing to say.

Instead, she felt a sharp pull on her other arm, pulling her out of Miette's grasp. She knew who it was before she was pulled away, and when she looked she saw Ash pulling her towards him, making Serena move quickly away on stumbling steps. She looked on, her arm still lingering out where Miette had been holding her as she hurried along with Ash, walking quickly. She still stared at Miette, even as she was pulled away, and Miette stared back.


	74. Chapter 74

Outside of the large exhibition hall, beyond where the last few outdoor stalls clustered near the rear wall of the building, a large open and outdoor pavilion continued from the base of the hall and stretched out over where the hill sloped down. It ended in a large balcony overlooking the forest, the grassy expanse between the large trees sloped down towards the final clearing, ending in a shore at the bay of the island. In the distance, a shadow loomed where Kalos was.

Ash ran to the end of the concrete pavilion, reaching the balcony. His sneakers skidded to the edge from the sudden stop he forced, the toes of his sneakers sliding just short of the stone railing that lined the balcony's edge. He looked down, seeing that a good drop awaited him if he took another step.

The scene was familiar to Ash. A crowd had gathered at the bottom of the sloping hill, clustered around a large empty area that was set like an arena. Through the dimming, distant light of the sun as it approached the horizon, the sky yellowing as it first barely approached what could considered sunset, a cocoon of plasmic energy had formed around the arena and glimmered in strange, warped ways. Beneath it, the spectre of a tall, bony-looking Pokemon stood uncomfortably inside. Swirling around the edges of the energy shield, an army of Magnemite hovered around in-sync, the air warping around them with magnetic vibrations.

He contemplated making the jump, but he stopped to look back, hearing another pair of footsteps quickly approaching.

Serena was hurrying after Ash, hurrying to reach the edge with him. Her boots were knocking on the ground, the sound getting louder and louder as she left the crowd behind her and joined Ash away from everyone else at the edge of the pavilion.

Serena had stopped just before she reached the edge, several dozen feet back from where Ash was standing. She squinted, covering her brow with a hand and darkening her eyes to look out across the landscape. From where she stood, she couldn't see as much of where the large, glowing dome of energy had risen from the ground, and she couldn't nearly see as much of what Ash had seen inside of it. Her eyes diverted, her attention going back to Ash as he looked thoughtful and determined, thinking of his next move.

"I don't think we can get to Mirror Ash before he can get to Cynthia and the Needlenose..." said Ash, looking down at the sloping hill. As he did, he reached for a pouch beside his bag, dropping a Pokeball into his hand and gripping it tightly. He glanced down at it for only a moment before looking back up. "That means we'll need to fight."

Serena stayed quiet, looking up at Ash. She didn't raise her voice—she didn't feel the need to. Instead she stared with a quieter, more subdued expression, still looking determined through it all.

Ash turned back, looking to Serena. He was smiling, the sun casting a glow on the side of his face. "Serena, you don't have to come now… It's going to be very dangerous."

At that, Serena's eyes widened as she looked up. She looked genuinely surprised, suppressing a gasp. It took her several seconds before realizing she needed to speak up and say something—Ash was waiting for her. Though her eyes turned away, her head tipping down for a moment as she looked down at her straight, side-by-side feet, her hands held at her sides in uncomfortable half-fists.

When she looked up, a lock of golden hair had been caught over Serena's eye. She didn't bother pushing it to the side, instead looking straight at Ash with a stare that cut through and went directly to Ash.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Serena. "Other than by your side, that is."

Ash looked surprised at that. Then, he smiled. "Alright, well, we better get a move on, then."

Though Serena's smile was small, it seemed boundless. Her smile was infectious, giddy, her eys practically glowing as she watched Ash.

Reaching up to his shoulder, Ash grasped for and got Pikachu between his hands, carrying him and hoisting him up. His arms stretched out, reaching out over the edge of the balcony and lifting Pikachu. Pikachu then leaped up out of Ash's hands, hopping into the air and leaping down to the ground, his forepaws outstretched like he was flying. The jagged, lightning bolt tail he had flapped behind him like a flag as he flew, his large rabbit-y ears flying behind his head.

Serena was still in a daze from the moment. It took her moment to realize what she had watched—Ash had just helped toss Pikachu over the edge of the balcony. Even as she was processing that, she looked up and saw that Ash was hopping up over the stone railing that lined the edge of the balcony, balancing himself precariously over the leg where he had planted a foot on the edge, balancing himself with a lone arm that propped him up. His other leg was swinging over, giving him the momentum to hop up and stand on the foot he had planted on the stone ledge, then launch himself over the empty expanse of the balcony and falling down to the ground below.

"Ash!" Serena gasped. She ran to the very edge, the stone railing stopping her at the hip and making her look over, down at the scene below.

The drop beneath the balcony was just shorter than a standing person's height. Ash had landed in the soft, tufty grass and rolled down onto his side, just short of where Pikachu had landed and momentarily raced ahead. Ash didn't even look hurt, and he had pulled himself back onto his feet in moments, standing several feet off of where he had landed moments earlier, a path of flattened grass behind him and a good distance from where Serena was. When he looked up, seeing Serena standing at the edge with a panicked look on her face, he grinned and waved down.

"Come on, Serena! Jump!" said Ash.

The thought of jumping like that made Serena wither for a moment. She looked terrified, her face flattening. She then shook it off—she remembered who she was, what she stood for. Flipping herself around, Serena sat herself on the edge of the balcony railing and then swung her legs around. Her hands held the edge precariously as she centered the heels of her boots, finding the space between stone posts that held up the top of the railing and finding a solid footing. Her arms tensed and readied themselves.

Then, Serena pushed herself off, leaping over the edge.

Serena tumbled through the air for a terrified second. She held onto her hat, her other hand grasping for the edge of her skirt in an attempt to keep anything from being revealed in the fast-moving air that ruffled it. As she fell and came to the ground. Her arms reached out in a last ditch attempt to soften the impact—something she didn't ultimately need. The drift of grass that she landed in softened the blow entirely, sending her brushing through the tall, wild grasses that had grown up all around the base of the raised, stone platform that was the balcony. At that, she felt everything fly away from her—her hat and her backpack.

The pink fedora that Serena always kept on her head had toppled away, landing in a patch of short, stemmy dandelions. Serena had felt her backpack fly away from her, but when she pulled herself off the ground and felt something shifting on her back, she realized it was still on her—it just felt empty. As she reached around awkwardly, patting it down to feel for what had gone missing, she knew what had fallen out almost instantly.

When she looked over, in a clearing of grass, she saw the rectangular, chocolate-colored shell of something sitting there: it was the laptop, it had slid out of her bag.

Hesitantly, Serena grabbed for the laptop, her hand planting squarely on the surface of it.

* * *

 _Miette was right._

* * *

Serena had stood herself up, and as she held the laptop in her hands, staring at it and contemplating it, her head immediately whipped up when she saw Ash in front of her, holding her fedora. She reached for it, her gaze lingering on it before she looked back up to Ash.

As Serena took the fedora and put it back on her head, Ash looked on smiling. Several feet ahead of them on the wide, sloping field that led down to the arena with Cynthia and Needlenose, Pikachu was waiting impatiently, and Ash could hear his annoyed cries. When Ash turned back, getting ready to head down, he gave one last look to Serena, silently waiting for her to come along as he walked.

With a hand fixing her hat more securely, she looked back down at the laptop again. Her bag slipped down over her shoulder, swinging around lightly to be in front of her so that she could put it back inside.

* * *

 _I can't let go. There's too much at stake._

 _I can't let all of this go away so easily._

 _Miette was right, I have been letting this go too easily._

 _It's time to put up a fight._


	75. Chapter 75

_I'm not afraid to die._

* * *

Masses of trees, clustered in uneven patterns and reaching high above, weaved past Serena as she ran through the forest. It was sickening, all the tall trees that came swimming quickly in front of her vision and raced up to her, threatening her collision with them moments before she followed the path around and ran in a different direction. The lumpy, cleared forest ground rose and fell unsteadily beneath Serena's boots, old discarded bark and yellowing pine needles crunching and sliding around with each running step.

Just ahead of her, weaving through the clearest path, Ash was running after Pikachu. The path they had followed was invisible, and the most clear and most downtrodden that they could find between the trees and the low ferns that surrounded their paths.

Serena was running out of breath. The urge to throw up had raised in her throat, increasing each time she missed a breath. After several long moments, she slowed to a stop in the middle of a clearing between trees. The treetops above her seemed to be spinning, and even when she looked down and saw that the ground beneath her was spinning too, she hunched over and let the sensation play out in her buzzing skull. Between wet, phlegm-y swallows, pained gasps and weakening constitution, Serena felt the blood rushing to her head. It made her think.

* * *

 _I can't let go._

 _Miette was right._

 _If I succumb to this fear, this horrifying thought that everything might go away someday soon, then I'll never be right._

 _If I succumb to th_ _ese_ _fear_ _s_ _, I'll let them come true._

* * *

"The Needlenose is a Pokemon that is not naturally indigenous to our world. The reason you are all able to see it here today is the result of a seven month long project, a collaboration of several of the largest Pokemon institutions throughout the world."

Cynthia's voice was booming. As she stood at the edge of the arena-like clearing, a small space at the front of the circular gate where the most of the crowd had gathered, a tall plasmic wall stood behind her. A hum filled out the air, rising above the conversations of those who had gathered there with Cynthia, all trying to see the Needlenose.

The large, bony hindleg of the Needlenose stood behind her and shifted on the ground. With each step it took, the ground shook and rattled throughout where the gathered audience stood, all while it adjusted itself uncomfortably beneath the shields. Through the radiant, humming surface of the Light Screen, several raspy cries could be heard from the Needlenose, sounding weak and simpering.

"You see, for the Needlenose to exist, it's taken a lot of—"

Cynthia cut herself off. She had been staring out at the crowd, but she then turned her attention into the crowd as she looked on, seeing something unusual.

Several members of the crowd were getting shoved to the side—knocked around by someone who had just shown up. Cynthia couldn't see who it was, only the tops of heads being shoved around like tree branches in the wind. Several shouts of protest rose up and cut above louder than anything Cynthia could've been saying at the moment.

A lone figure emerged from the thick of the crowd, walking up to be front and center with the rest of those who had arrived.

It was Ash, but something didn't look right.

Ash was paler than he normally was. He was dirty—with splatterings of mud that had been cast across the side of his face, dried and set on without so much as touching it—and he looked beaten up—with the staggering signs of a limp in his walk, a bruise set in beneath his cheek. There was no Pikachu to speak of on him, but instead there was something else with him.

Standing beside his leg, a short-statured Pokemon was huddled behind him. It then crawled out and stood itself in front of Ash. It was a Froakie—one that looked exactly like Ash's had before it had evolved. It hopped out in front of Ash, closing the divide between where Ash and Cynthia were standing across from one another.

Though Cynthia looked surprised for a moment, her expression steeled. Ash wasn't behaving like himself, as he looked more vehement and aggressive than he normally was. Cynthia's expression then darkened, her arm swinging around to her backside to grab for a Pokeball.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked Cynthia.

Mirror Ash said nothing. Instead, as his backpack swung out on his arm like he was taking it off, he then flung out the backpack towards Cynthia in one hard swing. Though Cynthia stared in utter confusion, not a single clue why the backpack was flying towards her and watching as it flew in mid-air, she caught a glimpse from the side of Mirror Ash's determination.

A crackle of lightning erupted from the surface of the backpack. The fabric, red-colored surface was quickly darkening, more and more eruptions of lightning coming through. Black spots on the surface soon grew fiery, bright orange points, suddenly rippling out and tearing through as more and more electricity shot through. The bag erupted into flames in moments, disappearing instantly around a single furry Pokemon inside—Mirror Ash's Pikachu.

Flung through the air by the momentum of the backpack, the full moment that the bag had been destroyed from within had passed and Mirror Pikachu was a foot away from Cynthia's face. Lightning energy crackled all around his body, still fresh with energy, his leg kicked out towards Cynthia, ready to collide in a powerful, physical kick.

Mirror Pikachu then collided with Cynthia.

A powerful flash of electricity burst out from Cynthia, erupting into an unbelievable shockwave that exploded from Cynthia's body. The flash of lightning burst out and erupted up, blasting through the ground and out in a flash of energy that knocked through some members of the crowd.

* * *

 _I have something beautiful here._

 _It is something that I have always had, something that I have always possessed and was incapable of knowing that I had before._ _It is something that is a key part of me and that is not worth letting go of. I've come so close to letting it go before to know that it is so incredibly important to me. I cannot let go of it, no matter what it costs me._

 _Now, I could lose it._

 _Maybe there was a time when I never recognized it. Maybe there was a time when I let Ash go, and_ _he went away and I never saw him again, and it was okay—or at least I thought it was._

 _The world is too mad for that._

* * *

Cynthia's body was on the ground. She was unconscious—still alive, but completely fainted. The normally collected and smoothed blonde hair—thick and long—had sprawled out over across her back and on a halo surrounding the ground she laid on. Her arms were sprawled out at the ground, limply reached out towards the Pokeball that had been clutched in her hand moments before, now instead resting in a clump of loose grass several feet ahead of her.

A sneaker planted down on the Pokeball—Mirror Ash's sneaker. It planted firmly, pressing down until the two halves of the Pokeball cracked.

* * *

 _I must defend what I still have._

* * *

Serena looked on, her eyes wide with terror as she saw the scene across the field. Squatting close to a fern at the edge of the forest, her body half-hunched beside a sizable black tree trunk as her hand held down one of the large leaves just enough to see through.

She remained silent, though she kept hearing the warped cries of the Needlenose through the light shield—when the cries were loud enough it drew her attention to the shield, making her look over and see it beneath, momentarily making her wonder what would happen if the Needlenose really did break through.

"Ash… We need to get someone…" Serena said, her voice thin and rushed through the darkness of the forest. When she looked over, looking into the dark clearing where she had seen Ash moments later, she saw that he was gone. "Ash…?" she asked quietly.

She then heard a rustling. When Serena looked over, her head craning in to look down the length of the forest edge—still trying to hunch down and remain out of sight—she saw Ash, walking close to the edge, out of sight of where Mirror Ash was standing at the front of the huddled, confused crowd. To her horror, she then watched as Ash ran out, then running across the field quietly as he headed out towards Mirror Ash, getting ready to strike.

* * *

 _I must defend what I still have. What else is there worth fighting for in this life?_

* * *

Serena got to her feet quickly. She then ran after Ash, out into the large clearing towards Mirror Ash.

* * *

A/N:

Some of you have seen this coming for a bit.

I'm going to be taking a break from Serena's Blog I have no idea when it will resume and when it will finish—I've been continually surprised by how long this last arc has taken and it keeps taking more and more effort to get things set up the way I want to. With this last stretch of chapters I've tried to write as many chapters ahead of time as I possibly could to stop a lot of these 'start-stop' delays in posting, but the more and more I write the more and more I realize that this is going to be a large undertaking.

While it seems all that much like I'm saying that this story will never continue and will never be finished, that is not my intent. The only thing that is changing is that this will no longer be my main focus for the time being. The more productive schedule that I've had while posting this is not feasible with what has to be done to complete the story, and while it is a necessary burden it has reached the point where the draw of time and energy as a main project isn't productive at all. More or less, this is something that needs to be worked on in the background before it can be finally posted, and I'd rather do that on the side than draw all of my time and energy to it. This is a much lengthier process, but it is the one that this story needs to get done right.

A large part of it is realizing the amount of effort that needs to be done, but a large part of it is being burnt out. There was definitely a large part of me that feels that what was being done in the earlier stages of the story was very important—sort of a 'doing god's work' thing. While that is really something that's limited to my own feelings as a writer, every day working on this thing feels like it's slogging on. In short, I don't feel that I can produce nearly as much when I'm trying to constantly prop up areas that are falling down, and more and more I feel the effort is no longer proving worthwhile. I ultimately need to just throw in the towel for a bit and focus my energies somewhere else until I can fix what is happening with this story.

I also am well aware that readership has significantly fallen in the last twenty chapters. That's something I take personal responsibility.

The failings of Serena's Blog fall squarely on my shoulders. While it is going to take a lot of effort in the background to fix what needs to be fixed to finish it in the right way, it is also largely time to move onto other things.

For now, Serena's Blog is going on an indefinite hiatus.

I will continue to post from this account, but I will be working on other projects. I have posted a PDF version of the first fifteen chapters of this story on my Tumblr, where I will also be posting journal updates talking about what I am currently working on. My username on there is 'yugoslaviapkmn', feel free to follow for further updates.

It's been a fun ride, everyone. It's not over either. See you around, stay sexy.


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